Persona 4X: The World's Beginning
by damus1cmahn
Summary: Prequel to "The World's Universe". Join Yu Narukami as he is shipped off to Inaba for a year with a chance to start anew after 16 years of unhappiness meeting new faces, new places, and new opportunities. Meanwhile, a strange fog envelops the town he will be staying in. A novelization of Persona 4: Golden. A YuxRise fic. UNDER MAJOR REBUILD.
1. Welcome to Yasoinaba!

**A/N: **As part of the Persona X series, I was inclined to write a prequel to my main Persona X story, "World's Universe." I felt like I needed to give insight onto how Yu and Rise met each other and how their subsequent relationship developed. In its basic form, this is a novelization of Persona 4: Golden with a couple of twists and a very heavy emphasis on the Lover's Social Link. As expected, a YuxRise shipping story, with minor YosukexChie and KanjixNaoto shipping.

**Note:** this is the edited version of the story where the concepts flow much better and characterization is given greater significance. If you are a return reader, this omits the backstory of Yu and Rise and gives more of the spotlight to Yu.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Welcome to Yasoinaba!**

* * *

'Everything's moving forward. I'm just moving along with it. I walk the straight path, never looking away from the grey light that precedes me. Everything is grey. I trudge ahead into the unknown, never asking the questions why I was walking forward…'

He quietly dismissed any thought of questioning his actions; it was always a thought that whatever lie ahead of him was the path that he would take. There was not a single lasting memory for 16 long years, his life remaining dull and uneventful. Nothing stood out to him; nothing stood out for him. He walked the path of a robot, a machine assigned to do its task: eat, exercise, study, sleep, repeat… without much questioning or resistance. After all, he was raised by parents who put work first before everything else.

Yu Narukami had frequently moved around with his parents all over Japan since he was five years old and sometimes being alone for up to half a year with a caretaker. He never questioned why they moved around so much, repeatedly telling himself it was his mother's job, and his father was inseparable from her.

Speaking of his parents, he knew they both worked for the international conglomerate Kirijo Group; it was how they met, bonding over their inherent otaku interests. It just so happened that Yu's mother passed by his father's office one day and noticed his shelf full of Dragon Ball Z manga alongside his corporate stuff. She stepped in, proceeding to argue with him about who was the better Saiyan. Of course, Yu's mother had much difficulty expressing her emotions, either showing very little of it or becoming angry whenever she did show it. She played the straight-man (or woman) of the comedy duo; the people Yu knew from the Kirijo Group always told him it was always like watching a sitcom: they would hate each other, bark at each other, but they were inseparable from day one. But it didn't trump over the fact that both his mother and father were chronic workaholics, and thus will stop at nothing to ensure business was conducted.

Yu had gotten used to wearing a soft, fake smile; he had been used to it ever since he realized the position he was in by middle school. All throughout elementary school, he became progressively withdrawn as time went. He was no longer the instigator, only responding when being approached. Where people approached him, he would answer with little emotion, feeling, or empathy. He resigned to his fate, leaving the school he briefly attended for usually a year at most, with a sad smile and a wish that his life would only played out differently.

'I don't want to get close; it'll only hurt me, and them, in the end. After all, I leave after a year and go to another school in a different city. There's just no point…'

Anyone looking at his phone book at any given time would see an empty phone book. On his final day, he would be approached with phone number requests, silently accepting them with a soft smile, and erasing them when he got home. It was a disgusting and cruel habit he developed in acceptance of his grim fate. Still, he pressed on, never looking back on the past, walking the straight path into the unknown…

* * *

**-_4/10/2011 – Sunny – 11:00 AM_-**

**_Tokyo Station, Chiyoda Prefecture, Tokyo, Japan_**

There was barely any walking room. Thousands of people rushed past the young man with a dark silver hair to get to their trains at the largest rail stations in all of Japan. It looked more like an airport rather than a train station. Then again, he guessed any place where they pool people together on transportation would look like this. The entire building inside was coated in white, so white it hurt to look down at the ground in fear of becoming blind. The outside was of a much different grandeur, that of bricks and marble. He passed several food and trinket stalls while contemplating for a small snack or something to entertain himself en route, but he knew he wasn't going to because his parents were walking next to him. Yu's father was wearing his eternal happy-go-lucky grin, while his mother wore her eternally stoic façade. He'd always wondered if they ever changed their emotions… well he'd only seen his father change emotion, but always reverted to his smile rather quickly; his mother always looked like she was always bored and uninterested (unless in cosplay, of course, or in a dire situation). In any case, they reached the ticketing carousel, where Yu turned around to face his parents, probably the last time he will see them for a year. How did it all come to this?

**_-Flashback to 3/31/2011-_**

"Alright, son!" Yu's father called excitingly, "This year, we'll be moving to Berlin, Germany so your mother can close a business deal over there. Your mother and I were thinking of taking you along with us. Maybe you'll pick up some German, haha!" Yu was sure this was his father's way of attempting to smooth over some rather abrupt news. It was quite odd they would suddenly pull out of the country for that amount of time. But that wasn't the main point that concerned him; it was the fact that he was going to be pulled out of school yet again. He could only sigh at the fact.

"I don't think that he wants to go," his mother spoke from a distance, reading off words from a contract from the glass dining table.

"Oh, c'mon! He'll love it!"

"He doesn't look too happy about it." Yu just sighed again, knowing where this conversation was going. He wasn't going to argue against the fact that either he was going to follow them, or be assigned a caretaker in another city. It was the first time that they were going to travel abroad for a year, which meant that they would have to move out regardless.

"Yu, do you want to move with us?" his mother calmly asked.

"It doesn't matter, does it?" Yu replied in a rather defeatist fashion.

"I'll take that as a no. I'll call Ryotaro, then." Yu then saw his mother making a phone call to an unknown party and sounded rather displeased and hasty. She quickly hung up the phone and looked towards Yu.

'So that phone call was about me,' he thought with a bored expression. His mother quickly snapped her cellphone shut.

"You will be staying with your uncle and cousin in Yasoinaba, which you have visited before when you were very young. You will be transferring to the high school there and return here at the end of the year. We'll see where it goes from there."

'Well, I should be thankful that I don't have to move to a foreign place,' Yu thought bitterly, '…I guess it was the lesser of the two evils. And I sure as hell don't remember visiting… or do I?'

As expected, Yu was packing all of his belongings (what little he had since they were always on the move), and shipping them to what he thought was another city. All the while, Yu's parents were having a conversation about it.

"Kirino, are you sure we can let him go?"

"I trust him enough, Kyousuke. The Dark Hour ended a year ago, so he should be fine. I'm putting him under Ryotaro's care just in case anything should happen. There's no real reason to move around anymore… That ass-wipe is finally dead… and home is really nothing to write about, so he should be fine."

**-_End Flashback-_**

Yu looked at his parents with sad eyes, well his parents knew they were sad eyes, but as far as one could tell he was staring blankly at them. There was never a moment where his parents weren't in business attire. Yu's father had his black suit and red tie, which he might say was well fitting to his figure (he was really fit), and his mother had her black and white business suit and skirt on. She, for some reason, dyed her hair golden blonde, completely overriding her natural brown hair, which Yu saw only once in his life. She was also ridiculously fit. Yu's parents, being in their mid-to-late 40s, looked like they were in their mid-20s, well Yu's dad looked like it; his mom looked even younger, like she was still in high school. She and Yu would often get confused as being each other's brother and sister, which would be quite hilarious at times. But back to Yu's sad eyes, it may not seem like it but he was going to be without them for an entire year, a lamenting thought. He had never left their side, and however disinterested his mother looked, she actually doted on him more than his father ever did… with her stoic expression. But still, Yu could tell this year will be different from the rest.

"Alright, son!" Kyousuke beamed, "Looks like you'll have an interesting year, I hope. Stay safe and say hi to your little cousin for me!"

"Yu," Kirino plainly addressed, "You will be living with your uncle for a year. Please do not cause any trouble for him as he is a very busy man and tends to work harder than I do. Be grateful to him as he is letting you stay with him for a year. And also, don't forget to help around the house. And treat your cousin nicely. From what I heard, she is a bit reserved, so don't upset her. Here is his number and address. Don't lose it." Yu took the sheet of paper and let off a soft smile at the both of them, which for the record, still looked quite stoic with a slight upward turn at the cheeks; it was better than his mother's at least.

"Will do," Yu plainly stated. This was the awkward moment where no one wanted to say goodbye, but they'd have to part sometime in the immediate future. Kyousuke was the first one to come up and hug Yu goodbye, with Kirino quickly following suit.

"Stay safe, Yu. And don't get into any trouble, you hear? One call from your uncle and I'm flying back to drag you to Germany, understood?" Kirino sternly stated, pointing her finger at Yu.

"Yes, mom." he replied, still with a soft smile. Yu knew she wouldn't seriously drag him to Germany, but that was always a possibility. He guessed he would play it safe for now.

Yu hauled his bags through the ticketing carousel (using his rail pass), which looked a lot tougher than it was since he was carrying a duffle bag and two shopping bags, and was now on his way to the central area where even more people gathered. There, he searched for his train to Iwatodai, where he would be transferring out into another train to Okina, and then to Yasoinaba. Three train transfers. Three times he'll have to look like a total idiot hauling his bags.

Yu stood at the platform, with his pass in hand, waiting for the train to pick him up to carry him off to who knows where this Yasoinaba City was. There was a large TV behind him showing what looked to be that commercial about that new diet drink everyone was talking about.

"_I'm tired of diets!"_ a girl with maroon hair shouted excitedly in her rather revealing bikini, "_Luckily, there's something even I can handle!" _Yu could only find himself fixated on the girl for some odd reason, and it happened every time that commercial would air. It soon switched over to a news segment.

"_In other news, Secretary Taro Namatame was found having an affair with reporter Mayumi Yamano…"_

Sounds of a speeding train could be heard in the distance, drawing closer and closer to the platform. The sound of the wind grew louder and louder and the rattling of the tracks growing more intense. The train slowed down to a complete stop in front of me as the doors opened. A swarm of people slowly, but surely, stumble out of the trains and onto the platform where they make their way to wherever they were going.

"_12:00 to Nagoya-Kyoto-Osaka now boarding. 12:00 to Nagoya-Kyoto-Osaka now boarding. This train stops at auxiliary stations. Please watch your step. 12:00 to Nagoya-Kyoto-Osaka now boarding. 12:00 to Nagoya-Kyoto-Osaka now boarding. This train stops at auxiliary stations. Please watch your step..."_

Yu was fortunate that his parents could afford a reserved seat in the first class car; being a high-level Kirijo employee really did have its perks. They also lived in luxurious condos and lofts everywhere they moved, but that didn't matter now as he sat on the train next to another business man in a fancy suit. Said business man glanced over at Yu, who wore his day clothes, and then looked away as he silently read his newspaper.

"_Last call to Nagoya-Kyoto-Osaka. Last call to Nagoya-Kyoto-Osaka. Doors will close in 1 minute. Last call to Nagoya-Kyoto-Osaka. Last call to Nagoya-Kyoto-Osaka. Doors will close in 1 minute…"_

Yu's mind began to wander to the girl with maroon hair. Why did she seem so familiar? Was it because they'd met before? If so, where did he meet her? Were they playmates? It was too long ago…

"_Doors will now be closing. The next train will depart in approximately 30 minutes. Doors will now be closing. The next train will depart in approximately 30 minutes."_

Back in the car, Kyosuke and Kirino looked at each other.

"Well, looks like he'll experience what it's like to live in our hometown," Kirino mused.

"Yup. We never told him, did we?" Kyouske laughed.

"Nope."

Yu had always like bullet trains. They were fast, sleek, quiet, and spacious (well the first class cars at least). It was too quiet on the train, with the occasional screaming child who wants to go to the bathroom or was more bored than Haruhi on a summer day. In fact, Yu felt like he was Haruhi on a summer day, so he took out the light novel he was reading the night before. Yu was drawn to the more action-packed light novels over the romance ones, but he'd pick one up every now and then. Today's offering was, well, Haruhi Suzumiya. What more was there to love about an abnormal high school girl who can control what happens based on her state of mind?

'This'll keep me entertained for a while.'

* * *

**-_Partly Cloudy – 1:45 PM-_**

"_Welcome to Iwatodai City. Welcome to Iwatodai City. Doors will be opening to the left. Welcome to Iwatodai City. Welcome to Iwatodai City. Doors will be opening to the left…"_

'So this is the place where Kirijo is located,' Yu thought to himself. Surprisingly, his parents weren't there often for being high-level corporate staff for Kirijo. He guessed they did what one would call "telecommuting" often with only his father flying or riding in every couple or so months from wherever he was. Yu also heard the head honcho being a young woman not much older than he was, in fact, only a couple years older. Yu always wondered what his parents thought about it…

* * *

**-_?-_**

**_En Route to Yasoinaba, Japan…?_**

'I think I might have finally gone insane. Those years of social isolation finally caught up to me. I should probably admit myself to a shrink. Whatever the case, I'm in a… limo of sorts…?'

He was beyond confused at how he had arrived there. Yu recalled he was last dozing off in a train to Yasoinaba while reading the ever-so entertaining novel of Haruhi Suzumiya, but now he found himself in a seat, unable to move. Just to confirm where he was, he started to glance around, taking note of all of the features of the low room. If he had one word to describe it, it would be blue. The windows were tinted blue, the couches were tinted blue, the table was tinted blue, the lights that lit up the liquor shelf emanated an electric blue, even the clothes of the lady sitting to the right of the table…

'…wait, a lady?'

Sure enough, sitting before Yu was a lady dressed in blue holding what appears to be a giant, encyclopedia-sized book in her lap. The top of her medium-length platinum-blonde hair shined in the only source of …electric blue light in the room. She had her face cast downwards, with her eyes closed and held a stoic expression not unlike his mother. It seemed like she was sleeping, or mediating? Overall, she's beautiful, more beautiful than anything Yu had laid his eyes upon, save for the girl with maroon hair in those commercials… Risette she was called? Anyways, moving left, he saw… an old man.

It was not that Yu hated old people, he just never dealt well with them, or it was the other way around. Old people always had a tendency to be inimical towards him, for some odd reason. He assumed this one would be the same. The first thing he took notice of was the abhorrently long nose that would make any scene look like it was straight out of a nightmare, not that Yu thought he wasn't in one. It was humorously propped up by his propped up arms that held together in the center. He was noticeably balding with white hair that grew from the side, typical of an aging, old man. His plain black tuxedo was accented by his black bowtie and white boutonniere. He also seemed to be questionably sleeping.

There was sudden movement from the lady, almost like she was expecting the right time for Yu to appear. Her eyes shot open and her head moved up. She stared in the direction of the table, not noticing he was sitting 90 degrees from her. Then, a soft piano melody started to play. It was soothing to the ears and really felt like he was in a dream, or nightmare, or some chaotic mix of both which brought him to the creepy, long-nosed man. The old man's eyes shot open and stared Yu down like he was his next meal, and showed the creepiest grin Yu had ever seen. And the old, senile laugh that the old man made following made Yu decide that this was truly a nightmare.

"Ah… it seems we have a guest with an intriguing destiny…" the old man softly chuckled.

'Okay… that wasn't creepy at all. Wait, a guest?'

"My name is Igor… I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a 'contract' may enter. It may bet that such a fate awaits you in the near future. Now then, why don't' you introduce yourself?" Yu stared at the old man for a long while, trying to wrap everything the old man said in his head.

'Okay, so this is a place that exists in limbo. I can only enter it if I signed a contract of some sort, which I haven't seen yet. The hands of Fate apparently have something in store for me. That's it; it's a nightmare. I'll just roll with it and hope I'll wake up in time.'

"My name is Yu Narukami. It's a pleasure to meet you, Igor-san."

"Hm… I see," Igor replied in his raspy voice of wisdom, "Now let's take a look into your future, shall we?" His hand hovered over the table as a white light began to glow from it. Within a split second, a deck of cards appeared where the lights were. This is truly a nightmare. Igor stared up at Yu again.

"Do you believe in fortune telling?"

"No, not particularly," Yu replied. Igor seemed to ignore him as the old man waved his hand over the cards. The cards began to move on their own, just like a magician with real magical powers. They lay themselves in circular order as if having intelligence of their own. They all lay face down in mystery to what card would appear when one turns it over. Igor looked up at Yu again, presumably to explain what he has done.

"Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different. ~chuckle~ Life itself follows the same principles, doesn't it?"

'Oh great, it's a creepy, crusty, _and_ philosophical old man, just what I needed in this… whatever this is in my head.' Yu noticed the old man reach down at a particular card and flipped it over. It was a picture of a tower being split in half by lighting of sorts.

"Hmmm…" Igor mumbled pensively, "The Tower in the upright position represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent."

'Well if this were all true, I'm _definitely_ getting shipped to Germany," Yu humorously thought. Still, Igor continued.

"The card indicating the future beyond that is," He flipped another card over, "The Moon, in the upright position. This card represents 'hesitation' and 'mystery'… very interesting indeed."

'And weird, don't forget weird. '

"It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you. In the coming days, you will enter into a contract of some sort, after which you will return here."

'Wait, what? Why are you making it seem like this is actually happening?'

"The coming year is a turning point in your destiny… If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost. My duty is to provide assistance to our guests to ensure that does not happen." With one swipe, the pile of cards disappeared into thin air. Yu looked at the lady to see if she was still there and noticed she was anxiously looking back at the teen. He wondered if she was looking at him the entire time.

"Ah!" Igor exclaimed as if he remembered he was supposed to do something, "I've neglected to introduce my assistant to you." He gestured towards her and even looked at her, bringing Yu's attention to the lady.

"This is Margaret. She is a resident of this place, like myself."

'So you both live here? Like not step foot out this room?'

"My name is Margaret," the lady spoke with one of the most soothing female voices Yu had ever heard.

'Whoa, she sounds as pretty as she looks…'

"I am here to accompany you through your journey."

"We shall attend to the details another time," Igor interrupted, "Until then, farewell…" As soon as he said those words, Yu began to black out again…

Yu opened his eyes to be back in his seat in the small train. He had woken up, apparently, from the most bizarre dream-state he had ever been in: an old, senile, creepy, and philosophical old man with the longest nose he had ever seen served by a beautiful young lady in blue, in a limousine that was entirely blue, telling him his fortune of misfortune will be inevitable and that he would have to go through it.

'If that's not crazy, then the world is insane,' he thought bitterly. He looked out the window to watch the clouds pass over the sky and the green grass of the farmlands wave to and fro as the train zips by. He was no longer on the sleek, fast bullet train, but a two-car dinky shack that moved slower than molasses. At least the view was nice and the cherry blossoms were out. For now, Yu watched the scene fly by as the train crawled closer to its final destination.

* * *

**-_Cloudy - 4:00 PM-_**

_A Residence in an Inaba Neighborhood, Yasoinaba, Japan_

A man and his daughter were watching their television quietly, most likely about the most recent affair case. An alarm rang on his phone, showing it was 4:00 PM.

"It's about that time," he said with his deep, hardened voice. The little girl looked up at her dad and followed him to the front door.

_Yasoinaba Train Station_

"_Welcome to Yasoinaba Station. Welcome to Yasoinaba Station. Doors will open to your right. Welcome to Yasoinaba Station. Welcome to Yasoinaba Station. Doors will open to your right…"_

The doors opened as Yu grabbed his bags and proceeded to the terminal. The scene that played out before him was one he was not expecting. The station itself was old and run-down with a vending machine to the right and the ticket counter to the left. He stood at the top of the steps and surveyed the area.

If there was one word to describe his first impression, the word would be "dead." There was absolutely no movement about. At least the cherry blossoms were out and made it seem really peaceful, like the term "rest in peace" would actually hold value here.

"It sure is quiet here," he mused. Moving on from the rather uninspiring first impression, Yu reached in his pocket for his uncle's contact information and address. It should not be too hard to find in a town this small, apparently. He was unfolding the paper when a rogue gust of wind blew it out of his hand.

"Well, shit," he muttered to himself, moving to chase after the paper. He didn't know how he missed it, but the piece of paper landed on a pair of thigh-high black boots. Gazing upwards, there was a pair of knee-high black and white striped socks, a red plaid skirt, a black studded belt, a white sleeveless shirt, a pair of black, white and red, arm socks, and a face of a girl who was too pretty to ignore. She had short, face-length black hair and the greenest eyes he had ever seen. Her skin was fair, almost the perfect paleness and was rather short. She looked at the paper that was caught on her boots and picked it up. She walked through the piles of cherry leaves towards him, with the sheet of paper in hand. Once she neared him, she briskly handed the sheet of paper back.

"Here. You dropped this," she spoke in a rather unfriendly voice.

"Thank you," Yu replied, being a generally polite young man.

"Whatever, it's not like I did anything," she mumbled as she walked away. Just who was that girl?

Not a second later, two pairs of footsteps could be heard approaching from the other direction.

"Hey! Over here!" the large man said with a smile while waving his free hand. He was wearing a dark grey shirt, black pants, black shoes, and a red tie. He swung his suit jacket over his left shoulder and looked really intimidating without that smile. A little girl followed on his right side dressed in a pink overall with a white shirt underneath. She had twin brown pigtails. Yu walked up to them to see if they were his hosts.

"Well you're more handsome in person than in the photo your mother sent. Welcome to Inaba. I'm Ryotaro Dojima. I'm your mother's younger brother… and that just about sums it up." When was the last time he saw him? Yu pretty sure it was way back in the day when he used to come out to wherever Yu's parents were at the time. Of course, he stopped coming up when he had a daughter, and then Yu's aunt died in a fatal car accident and he stopped talking to anyone in general.

"Yu?" Dojima grabbed his attention back, having spaced out for a second.

"Oh. Yeah, it's been a long time," Yu replied, letting out a soft chuckle.

"I'll say. You've really grown. I still remember when you were in diapers, haha!" For an introduction, Yu thought it best to leave that part out… Dojima then pulled out his daughter from his side and coerced her to the front.

"This here's my daughter. Come on, Nanako, introduce yourself." So this was the cousin Yu's mother mentioned. She was indeed incredibly shy. She was looking down at her feet out of sheer nervousness.

"…"

"…"

"…'lo" she mumbled, barely audible to the human ear. Dojima looked down at his daughter and started to laugh.

"Haha! What're you so shy for?" Nanako slapped him rather hard in the leg, well hard for a six-year-old at least. She grumbled at the man while hiding her face in embarrassment. Yu chuckled along as well, seeing that was quite the cute reaction. Dojima turned his attention back to him.

"Well, then… Let's get going. My car's over there."

It was an older model Isuzu Rodeo, but compared to the town itself, one could say it was one of the luxury vehicles in this town. Yu's parents had always driven around in designated company cars, which were almost always Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, or BMW and the top of the line cars of those brands. So having to be driven around in a normal person's car was almost a welcoming and sobering change. Now, the distance they drove from the station to the central business district wasn't too bad of a drive in (10 minutes at most). The radio was tuned to the news station talking about Secretary Namatame having an affair with the Yamano reporter lady. Yu didn't really care too much on those subjects; they were always superficial and never focused on the true story behind it.

"So, I hear your parents are moving to Germany for the year. Must be exciting for them," Dojima suddenly said, trying to start a conversation. It wasn't working well because all Yu had to answer was…

"Yeah."

"Not much of a talker, are you? Don't sweat it. Just make yourself welcome here." Dojima felt a pull on his arm and saw Nanako squirming.

"Daddy… potty time… hurry…" Luckily, there was a gas station around the corner.

Moel: one of the most popular providers of fuel in Japan. Yu believed they are a subsidiary of the Kirijo Group, but he could be wrong. His mother would know about it, but he didn't feel like asking her. For a rundown town, this gas station looked pretty normal, although when they pulled up, there was an attendant there. He did think it safe to assume that this station was definitely not self-serve like the ones in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Sendai. They pulled into the first available pump and the attendant rushed over to them. Either he was happy to be doing his job, or he was going insane in the head, because no one is ever this happy pouring gas into a gas tank for a living.

"Can you go by yourself?" Dojima asked his daughter with concern.

"Uh-huh," Nanako replied as she ran off towards the bathroom. Apparently, the attendant thought she was lost.

"It's in the back, to your left. Do you know which way is left? The side you don't hold your chopsticks in! Haha." Nanako looked back visibly irked.

"I know… geeez…" she answered and ran off. The attendant turned his(?) ('I'd hate to say it, but there is nothing remotely masculine about this dude,' Yu thought rather confused.) attention to them. He probably wanted business by his excitement towards Dojima.

"So, are you taking a trip?" the attendant asked excitedly.

"Nah, we just picked him up at the station. He just moved here from Tokyo."

"Tokyo, huh?" he asked with amazement. Both the attendant and Dojima glanced down at the gas tank.

"Fill 'er up while you're at it. Regular's fine." The attendant looked quite happy at the order. Yu honestly hoped for a self-serve station; this guy is talking way too much, and it was bothering him. He noticed Dojima starting to walk away from the gas station, reaching into his shirt pocket grabbing a white carton of what is presumably a cigarette.

"Good a time as any for a smoke…" Yu was not sure if that was directed at him, or Dojima himself, but Yu watched him walk to the side of the main street and puff smoke. He just hoped Dojima doesn't smoke in the house…

"Does it surprise a city boy to see how little there is out here? There's so little to do. I'm sure you'll get bored fast. You'll either be hanging out with your friends or doing part-time jobs. Speaking of which, we're actually looking for part-time help right now. Give it some thought, why don't you? We don't mind you're a student," the attendant rambled as he stretched out his hand for a handshake.

'Holy shit he likes to talk a lot, and was now asking for a handshake. I guess there'd be no harm in accepting a handshake; it's good to be polite anyways.' Yu firmly took his hand and shook it, much like he would when meeting strangers.

"Oh, I should get back to work."

"Okay…" Yu watched him go back to doing whatever he was doing when…

"Unnngggh!" he grunted as he caught his head. A sharp pain rushed through his brain, making him feel rather queasy. The light suddenly got brighter, the sounds of the passing cars and conversations louder, and the vibrations got stronger for a split second. The food, it was definitely the food he bought on the train. In-transit meals weren't the greatest after all. He should probably stay away from coach food from now on. When Yu lifted his head, he saw Nanako staring up at him in worry; he didn't even catch her come back from the bathroom.

"Are you okay? Are you… car-sicking? You don't look good." Now that she mentioned it, Yu still felt a little dizzy from the onset of mental food poisoning, if that was even possible. Dojima also arrived back from his smoke break and also caught onto Yu's dizzy spell.

"Hey, you okay there? Must've been the trip over. Why don't you take a walk around the shopping district to get a feel for it, yeah?" It actually sounded like a good idea.

It looked old. It looked rundown. It looked like he walked into 1950 and never came out. Were these buildings even earthquake-proof? Yu questioned the town's running infrastructure. He looked to the other side of the gas station and saw something, or someone, he was totally not expecting. It was the girl that picked up his note from the train station. Her arms were still folded in the same manner as they were at the train station. She stood there silently, staring intensely at the area to the right of the blacksmith shop.

'Wait, they have blacksmiths in this area? Well, it's not too surprising now since this is out in the middle of nowhere.' In any case, he walked up to the girl to see what she was up to, not that he wanted to make friends… Curiosity piqued his interest.

"Hey," Yu greeted quite plainly. She turned her head towards him, confused and rather irritated.

"…"

"…have we met before?" she coolly replied. Now _he_ was confused. Surely the girl remembered the note she picked up back at the station.

"At the station. You picked up my note. Thanks, again, for that."

"…I …don't remember…" she muttered, almost sadly, turning her attention back to the blacksmith. Yu gave up on talking to her and walked back to the car. He guessed it wasn't so bad. Girls came up and talked to him all of the time at all of his other schools, but he didn't think much of it.

"You feel any better?" Dojima asked.

"Yeah. That cleared up my head a little."

"It's a small town, but you'll get used to it." On that note, they hopped back into the car and drove off to the house.

* * *

**-_Cloudy – 6:00 PM-_**

**_Dojima Residence_**

It was a nice, quaint house, notably one of the bigger houses in town. It may look a bit worn on the outside, but it still seemed livable. It was a two story house situated on a slope. There was a car port next to the house and a scooter parked in front. To the left of the house were a patch of land and a mound of dirt, along with gardening tools. Yu took a step into the front gate while looking at the forlorn skies. The clouds got noticeably darker as the day went and looked like it was about to shed its tears. He hadn't even noticed the sun growing dangerously close to disappearing behind the hills.

Inside, the first thing Yu noticed was the low ceiling. This was typical of a rural Japanese house, and he was a bit tall for the male gender. Dojima was pretty tall, too, but it never was a problem. The beam separating the front of the house to the living room almost touched the top of Yu's head.

In the living room, Yu took note of the long couch at one end of the room, an old TV at the other end, and a kotatsu at the center. He presumed this was the area where they ate their meals, as the table in the kitchen area was filled with papers and sitting room for only two people.

Back on the living room table, Yu took note of the three sushi bentos that lined three out of the four sides, along with a drink for each. Dojima took one side, the side of the couch, and Nanako took the side nearest to the window. Yu thought it would be best to sit on the side of the kitchen. It was quiet for a good five minutes before Dojima raised his glass.

"I know this was supposed to be your welcoming party, but I'm not much of a cook and Nanako is a bit too young to cook, so here it is. All right, let's have a toast. To a good year will you make your home here in Inaba." Yu smiled softly along with the rest of the household.

"Ah, so you don't show any emotion, just like my sister, ha ha. So they decided to work in Germany, huh."

'Why do you keep bringing that up?'

"I know it's only for a year, but getting stuck in a place like this because of your parents… it's rough being a kid."

'Tell me about it… all I want to do is stay in one place longer and I get shipped off to the middle of nowhere…'

"Well, it's just me and Nanako here, so it'll be nice having someone like you around for a change. So long as you're here, you're part of the family. So make yourself at home." The least Yu could do in this respect was be grateful of the hospitality, even though it didn't work out like he planned. These were nice people, so he should at least return the kindness.

"Thank you for your kindness; it's much appreciated." Dojima chuckled again.

"C'mon! There's no need to be so formal. You're even making Nanako all tense!" Yu looked across from him to find Nanako fidgeting and blushing, while trying to keep hold of her chopsticks. He then noticed behind Nanako that it started to rain.

'Weird, the forecast on my phone said otherwise…weather can be a strange thing…'

"Well, anyway… Let's eat," Dojima finally said.

"Itadakimasu," the entire table said in unison while clasping their hands together. Just as Dojima was about to pick up the sashimi on his plate, a phone suddenly rang instantly killing the lively mood that had just been set.

"Ugh… Who's calling at the hour?! It better not be that rookie they just set me up with."

Even Nanako's face dropped instantly as if she was expecting it to happen. Dojima's eyebrows instantly furrowed as he glared at the phone. He reluctantly stood up picked up the phone and answered, quite exasperatingly.

"…Dojima speaking…"

"…"

"…Yeah? I see… So where is it?"

"…"

"…Uh huh…"

"…Alright, I'm on my way." He hung up the phone and looked at the rest of us. He had a forlorn expression on his face and looked like he needed to make up an excuse.

"Looks like I made the right choice to skip the booze… Sorry, but I gotta go take care of some business. Go ahead and eat without me. I don't know how late I'll be. Help him out, okay Nanako?" She looked saddened, but the kind of sad where one was used to it and it was just another day, a normal routine.

"…Okay," she mumbled sadly. Dojima turned to make his way to the front door and noticed it was raining outside.

"Nanako! It's raining out. What did you do with the laundry?!"

"I already brought it in!"

"All right. Well, I'm off!" The door was shut and the silence took over. It was, in the least, an awkward silence. Yu didn't know much about her and Nanako didn't know much about him. Not knowing what to do, she reached over to the remote and turned on the old television. It was flipped on to the news channel, with a female being the featured reporter this evening. It seemed the news was just finished a segment, most likely on the Yamano/Namatame scandal, and was now on the subject of the weather.

"_Now, let's take a look at the hourly breakdown of tomorrow's weather. With storm clouds moving in from the west, expect rain throughout the day tomorrow in most areas."_

'Well, that's good to know… It is a bit quiet in here. Maybe I should talk to her. If my memory serves me right, my uncle is a police officer of sorts… a detective, maybe?'

"Ummm… so you're dad's a detective, right?" Yu asked uneasily out of curiosity.

"He… investigates stuff… Like crime scenes."

'So I was right…'

"He's a detective."

"_And now for the local news. City council secretary Taro Namatame is under fire for an alleged relationship with a female reporter."_

'Are we really doing this again?'

"_His wife, enka ballad sensation Misuzu Hiiragi, revealed to this station that she will likely pursue damages. In response, Eye Television has decided to cancel all of announcer Mayumi Yamano's televised appearances. Until allegations of an affair with Mr. Namatame are resolved, she'll remain off the air and out of the public eye."_

"This is boring…" Nanako whined. Yu wholeheartedly agreed with her. She flipped the channel and on came a very familiar commercial.

"_At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day! Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products. Every day's great at your Junes!"_

As if on cue, Nanako's entire demeanor flipped within a split second. She sang the theme song, verbatim.

"Every day's great at your Junes!" She caught Yu staring at her in surprise and wonder of how her mood can flip like a switch. To even more of Yu's amazement, Nanako's mood flipped again to her depressed state and stared back at him. She noticed that he was still holding his chopsticks.

"…Are you going to eat?" she quietly asked. This snapped Yu out of his curiosity-induced stupor. They ate in silence afterwards.

* * *

**-_Rainy – 9:00 PM-_**

Yu knew he had school starting the next morning, so he decided to forgo his unpacking of the pile of boxes that littered his room (at least he unpacked his school supplies and his uniform that he will need… well, it was already at the house). Unpacking that box, he came across his old uniform: a simple suit with a black tie. Memories flooded back to him of his last day there…

**-_Flashback to 3/18/2011-_**

It was a cool, spring morning in Sinagawa District, Tokyo, Japan at a local private school where Yu Narukami attended for his last day. He stood at the front of the class, with the teacher about to make the announcement. His face held little emotion, but his head was cast downwards.

"As you may all have heard, Narukami will be transferring to another school." The class was in an instant uproar, deeply saddened to lose their best student and best basketball player. He didn't talk much, but apparently won the approval of the entire class. He only played basketball as a form of exercise, but was really good at it (must've come from the genes). And to the ladies, he was good-looking, cute, hot, whatever glorious adjective to best describe his physical attributes. It was all for naught, though, as he would be leaving them the next day. It was inevitable, but Yu could do nothing about it…

**-_End Flashback-_**

He looked at his new uniform, a much simpler outer jacket with the school's logo on the upper left with gold-colored hardware. This was where he will be staying and going to school for the next year, not that he was that happy about it, not that he'll try to do anything about it.

"So, I'm stuck here for a whole year…" he muttered to himself as he sat down on the couch. He noted the small TV in front of him and listened to the rain splatter on the windows quite loudly. It was this rain that put his mind into a resting state with the constant drone of the water running down the window sill. His eyes began to feel heavy and eventually shut. He fell fast into a deep sleep…

* * *

**-_?-_**

"MMMPH!" Yu grunted as he landed face-first onto the pavement. He opened his eyes to check his surroundings to find himself encased in a thick shroud of fog. He couldn't see anything further than the length of his arms and could barely see the floor. From what he could tell, it was a strange red brick pattern with an ominous accent of black.

'…?! Where the hell am I?!' he frantically thought as his mind degraded to a state of panic. He quickly tried to look for any clues to his own whereabouts. With nowhere to go, his only option was to move forward and hope for an exit.

Walking forward, he noticed the air around him start to get heavier. A few more steps forward, he noticed a very indistinct voice talking to him. Whether it was in or out of his head didn't matter at this point; he was freaked out he was hearing voices.

"Do you seek the truth?" the monotonous, indistinct voice rang throughout the area. Yu didn't really know how to respond to that.

"If it's the truth you desire, the try and catch it…" He came upon a red portal-like wall as the voice trailed off.

'Well, there's only one way to find out… we'll see what happens on the other side, and I didn't even finish high school.' The second he stepped through the portal, there was a figure ahead. He was only able to catch a glimpse of it before he seemingly blacked out…

* * *

**-_4/12/2011 – Cloudy – 1:00 AM-_**

**_The Grand Bay Hotel – Osaka, Japan_**

A girl around the same age as Yu collapsed on her hotel bed. She had just finished a meet and greet after a show in the area. By her drooping eyes and slow demeanor, she was exhausted. They played five shows straight for five days and were about to leave for another area of Japan in the morning, 5:30 in the morning. They had been doing this for well over two years straight with little to no breaks, only one day during Christmas and New Years to take off. She gritted her teeth to bear it, only to feel like she was losing her grip on her leash. She needed to get her mind off of the fame, the show biz, and the various personas that the media built for her. Never mind that, she was too exhausted to think about anything at the moment. She tugged her twin maroon pigtails and drifted quietly to sleep.

* * *

**A/N:** As you can see, the story and premise were altered quite a bit to take out any mention of Yu and Rise meeting each other. This was done as I could not get the idea to work out in the long run and incorporate itself into the main story. We'll see what kind of romance has in-store for us as the chapters keep moving along. Until next time!


	2. A Beginner's Guide to Television Sets

**A/N:** A couple of things have changed here, too!

* * *

**Chapter 2: A Beginner's Guide to Television Sets**

* * *

**-_4/12/2011 – Rainy – 7:00 AM-_**

**_Dojima Household, Yasoinaba, Japan_**

Rain. It was soothing in the least. The grey skies dumped buckets of water onto the town below without a single care in the world. Apparently, the Gods seemed to be in a depressed mood all through the night as Yu Narukami opened his eyes to the sounds of water splattering down the windows. It had not stopped raining since the evening when Dojima left for work. Did he even come home during the night? Yu pushed those thoughts aside as he lifted himself off the couch and threw on his new school's uniform.

This uniform was remarkably simple. It was a plain, old black school jacket with white, hand-sewn seams and gold-colored buttons and emblems. What Yu guessed was the school's insignia could be found at the upper left chest area with the name of the school just below it. Even the pants were hand-sewn with the same white stitching used on the jacket. Like most schools in Japan, the shirt beneath the jacket was supposed to be white, a very professional and very traditional attire. Yu looked himself in the mirror and buttoned up before making his way into the downstairs bathroom.

Breakfast was an entirely different scene. Yu had expected to make his own breakfast, which was the norm at his parents' house; they would always wake up and leave early, and come home too late for dinner. That's not to say that Yu didn't interact much with his parents; he talked to them a lot, just not in a family-oriented dinner setting. He knew they worked hard to be where they were at, and Yu was thankful for every minute of it. That wasn't to say that he was happy, either. He longed to bond with his parents on a deeper level than just the hour or so they talked on a daily basis. As he reflected upon those thoughts, the little girl in the house came up to him with a plate of sunny side eggs and toast. He looked around to find if the man of the house was anywhere to be seen, only to find him missing.

"Did your dad ever come home last night?" Yu asked, unsure if he phrased it correctly. Thankfully, Nanako just nodded.

"Yeah, he came home a little after you went to bed. He left early this morning just as I woke up." Again, Yu noticed the expressionless tone laced with a hint of depression. The rain outside didn't make the mood any better. "Do you want your breakfast?" Nanako asked with a bit of uneasiness. Yu figured it would be best to eat it, even if it didn't taste as good to his standards. It was out of respect and gratitude for the hospitality, or so he told himself.

After devouring what was actually a pretty good sunny side up eggs and toast, Nanako offered a proposition.

"My school's on the way to your school. Let's walk together!" This time, her tone took on a more cheery disposition, probably because Yu actually ate the eggs and toast. Then, it dawned upon Yu that he hadn't the first clue where his high school was located.

'Yasogami High School, huh? Seems interesting.'

They both threw on their shoes and readied their umbrella and prepared to go. They stepped out into the endless rain and set off for school.

If one were to drive to the high school, it would take no more than five minutes, tops. If one were walking to the high school, it would take at least half an hour. In the rain like it was today, that number got pushed up to 45 minutes. Midway on the path upon the flood plains (which surprisingly didn't flood as the name suggested), Nanako suddenly stopped. Yu turned around to see if anything was wrong, but she wore a smile on her face. If anything, it was rather bizarre that a little child would smile in the rain. If he had went by anything he read in the countless books he's read, rain was a sign of melancholy, depression, and an ominous omen. Why a child would smile like this was beyond him.

"My school's this way and your school is just straight ahead. I'll see you at home!" she gleefully waved and darted off in another direction, trying to keep hold of her umbrella. If one didn't think that was the cutest thing in the world, Yu would certainly be confused.

It was in the neighborhood when Yu noticed a high school student ride his bike in the rain while holding an umbrella. It looked quite ridiculous, to be honest, almost like it was supposed to be part of a circus act. The student wobbled left and right until he was unable to maintain the little balance he had, crashing into the telephone poll.

"YEOOOWW!" the student yelled in agony, "…critical hit to the nads…"

Yu contemplated on what to do in this situation. Should he help him, or should he leave him? He looked down at his silver Movado watch and noticed he only had 10 minutes until class started, in which he had to check in with the teachers and receive his class schedule.

"I'll just leave him be…" he finally decided.

* * *

**-_Rainy – 8:25 AM-_**

**_Yasogami High School_**

It was a little while more until Yu finally reached the high school. Just as with any other building in town, the school looked old and worn. The while plaster that made up the outer walls were off-colored, so off-colored it was even noticeable in the rain. The texture of the plaster gave it a very weathered look, like it had been through hell and back and was still standing by a miracle. Yu could only guess what the inside would look like. If Yu had to comment on the size from the outside, he gauged he would develop claustrophobia once he stepped foot indoors. It really was that small of a high school.

Noting the people at the high school, Yu was expecting more of a "rural" feel. Instead, they all looked like normal high school students going to and from class. They all gossip, seem to be pretty close with each other, have the latest technology (that could've been partly Junes' doing, wherever that is). They all noticed him, though, being the sole person nobody knew and with the dark silver hair. He instantly heard whispers.

"Is that a new student?"

"I've never seen him before."

"Did he transfer?"

"What year is he in? He's pretty cute"

"Dude, that silver hair, though…"

He ignored most of the comments directed at him and made his way into the school building. Inside, there was half the amount of lockers than his previous school. All "shoe-switch" customs are the same, though. He stuffed his umbrella in the first of two umbrella bins. Walking towards the main hallway, he saw a long, black-haired girl in front on the main bulletin. She had bright red sweater on over her uniform, which to Yu was very abnormal to the rest of the student body. She had the fairest skin complexion as well as some serious curves. The way she was standing was very proper. In other words, she was beautiful, very beautiful.

'I don't know where anything is… I should probably go up and ask for directions…' Yu, without any ulterior motives, walked up to her. Instantly, whispers started up again.

"Dude, is that guy gonna go for the Amagi Challenge?"

"You know how many guys did the Amagi Challenge and failed?"

"What does this guy think he has over anyone else?"

As usual, Yu ignored the snide comments towards him and tapped the shoulder of the girl, who was staring up at the bulletin.

"Excuse me," Yu started, grabbing her attention. She swiftly turned with her face mixed with surprise and terror. She instantly reeled back at the sight of an unknown tall man with dark silver hair. She wondered if she should speak to him, or push him away and call for help. Thankfully, she chose the former.

"C-C-Can I help you?" she stuttered, now sweating bullets. Yu was really confused at her behavior; he didn't think he was _that_ intimidating.

"Uh… d-do you know where the faculty office is? I'm a new student here and I would like to pick up my class schedule," he requested in a rather aloof tone. In an instant, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, i-it's just down this hallway and the second right. You shouldn't miss it."

"Thank you." With that, Yu quickly made his way to the faculty office, not even batting an eye to the stunning vixen he just talked to.

Like with any Japanese high school, the faculty camped out in a particular room as their base of operations. Teachers roamed the classrooms instead of the other way (students roaming the classroom) apparent in the western culture that Yu had experienced before. He slid open the door and saw a lone man standing there.

If Yu had to describe this teacher, it would be along the lines of a geek nerd with no sense of fashion whatsoever. He was wearing a blue pinstripe suit with a yellow tie and matching slacks that were probably too short for him. His most notable feature, though, was the existence of an overbite that destroyed all overbites. This gave him quite the bucktooth appearance and a very menacing aura. Yu already didn't like this teacher. Even the way he spoke irritated the teen.

"Are you Narukami?" he said in a grunted voice.

"Yes."

"You're in my class. The name's Morooka. Follow me so I can introduce your ugly mug. Oh, and here's your schedule."

'I hate him already…' Yu cursed himself as he took the slip of paper.

He followed the bucktoothed teacher to the second floor, where Yu assumed that this was where the second-year classrooms were. The teacher stopped at the second door to the right of the main stairs. The sign above read "2-2", which probably meant "Year 2, Class 2." The teacher opened the door and took the podium at the center of the classroom. Yu knew he still had to wait outside to be called in. He could hear the various conversations going on inside and decided to hone in on a particular conversation.

"Talk about bad luck… The homeroom teacher here is Morooka, isn't it?" a sitting student complained.

"Yeah, it's King Moron, alright… we get to enjoy his long-ass sermons every day for a whole year," his friend added to the complaint. A female student walked over to the two boys.

"Hey, you guys. I heard there's a transfer student from the city in this class."

"Huh? Really? A guy or a girl?" Yu decided to tune out that conversation and hone in on another one. This one involved a brown-haired girl in a green jacket and a boy with orange headphones looking worse for dead.

"…Huh? You look dead today," the green-clad girl started, almost in pity.

"Yeah, um… I don't wanna talk about it…" the headphone-wearing boy muttered, barely audible.

"…What's with him?"

"Who knows?" another girl speaks up, with Yu drawing attention to the new voice, and a familiar voice. She was the red-sweater girl he ask directions from this morning.

'So she's in my class…' Suddenly, the teacher cleared his throat, grabbing everyone's attention. He then glared at Yu, which was the sign to take the stage with the irritable man.

"I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward! First things first! Just 'cause it's spring doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like love-struck baboons. As long as I'm around, you students are going to be pure as the driven snow! Now I hate wasting my time, but I'd better introduce this transfer student. This sad sack's been thrown from our nation's putrid capital out to the boonies like yesterday's garbage. And he's just as much of a loser here as he was there, so you girls better not get any ideas about hitting on him! Tell 'em your name, kid, and make it quick!"

Now, Yu had been around teachers all of his life. They would all come to him for opinions on a subject matter, or ask for assistance in a particular subject matter that even the teacher had trouble understanding. They all loved him due to his high technical and academic prowess. He loved some teachers, and disliked others. But never before had he felt so much hatred for the pathetic excuse of a man beside him. He remembered that it wouldn't even matter if he screwed up his first impression here since he would leave in a year anyways. Students in the classroom could see crosses populate his forehead.

'Fuck it! Doesn't matter how tarnished my image gets! I'm not putting up with this!' Yu turned to the man, who was hunched over and a full forehead shorter than he was, and glared down at him. Yu then uttered these words in the lowest register possible.

"…You calling me a loser?" Yu growled, expecting the man to shutdown, only doing the exact opposite. Morooka's eyes went red, and his face went livid. He slammed his fists on the podium and glared up towards the silver-haired teen.

"THAT'S IT! YOU'RE ON MY ROTTEN LITTLE SHIT LIST!" Morooka yelled at poor Yu Narukami while forcefully driving his free finger at Yu's chest, not that Yu was having any of it.

"What next? You're gonna tell me that this town is miles away from my big city of perverts and assholes? And that I shouldn't even think of getting involved with the girls here?" Yu countered with the same low, threatening voice. Morooka now felt even more threatened.

"WHY YOU LITTLE-" Morooka raised his hand to presumably smack the living daylights out of Yu, only to be caught mid-air by none other than Yu Narukami's right hand, and brought it down to a firm, powerful handshake. To add even more fun on top of what just happened…

"By the way, my name is Yu Narukami. I transferred here from Tokyo," he calmly introduced himself with a slight smirk slowly turning his head to face the rest of the class, "I hope to enjoy this year with you all. And please forgive my improper behavior; I'm usually not like this unless provoked." He released Morooka's hand and bowed to the class. Even Morooka was rendered speechless.

'Well there goes any hope of making friends here, not that it mattered anyways… I should probably find a seat.' Yu looked up to find any empty seats.

"Yo, new guy!" the girl in green waved, "Wanna sit here?" Sure enough, there was an empty seat next to the girl. Yu calmly walked over and took his seat, hearing whispers yet again.

"Dude, the transfer student's a badass. Who knew?"

"I need to be like him."

"He's a ray of hope for this class!"

"This just made him 10 times hotter."

Once Yu found his seat next to the green-jacket girl, she leaned over to speak to him.

"So we call him King Moron… he's an ass…"

"Right."

"QUIET, YOU TWO!" King Moron, which Yu will now address him as, yelled at the two, "Now, it's not like the old days. Even here, kids grow up so damn fast. Every time I turn my back, you're fooling around on those damn phones, checking your Life-Journals and your MyPlaces…"

'I'm just going to sleep this guy off…' Before dosing off, Yu took a glance outside. He noticed something strange about the weather…

'…Is that fog?'

* * *

**-_Foggy – 12:00 PM-_**

**_Somewhere near the School District_**

A girl with medium brown hair walked towards the campus with her tote bag in tow. She decided she would arrive late due to lack of sleep. Her part-time job and her parents were running her ragged. She was beyond stressed. It was foggy throughout the area and she couldn't see past her arms.

'All this fog… it's kind of comforting not seeing anything around you. Let's you escape the world full of stress, pain, and failure, just like alcohol… great, thinking about the shop again…'

She looked around her and noticed that she had to turn at the corner. It looked relatively normal aside from one thing. As she looked up at the TV antenna on house in front of her, she saw something that was out of place, and definitely not supposed to be there…

A scream was suddenly heard for miles.

* * *

**-_Foggy – 3:30 PM-_**

**_Class 2-2_**

"_Attention, all teachers. Please report immediately to the Faculty Office for a brief staff meeting. All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave the school until further notice."_

"Yah hear that, you brats?! Stay in your damn seats!" King Moron yelled before muttering to himself his hatred of students as he walked out and slammed the door.

"He's seriously getting on my nerves…" a brown-haired student started complaining. She looked outside and saw the same thing Yu saw when he sat down. "Is that fog?" Sirens can be heard in the distance, awfully close to the school grounds.

"Did something happen?" one student excitably questioned, "Don't the sirens sound really close?"

"Ugh, I can't see a damn thing. Frickin' fog…" an excited student muttered.

"Yeah, like every time it rains lately, it gets all foggy," a second student said. A third student walked up to the two.

"Hey, did you hear? I hear the paparazzi's looking all over for that announcer."

'So _everybody's_ talking about it here…' Yu mentally groaned. He was just about sick of hearing the same things over and over again.

"Oh, yeah. You mean Mayumi Yamano, right? I heard some guys spotted her in the shopping district," the second student replied.

"I actually heard about that…" the third student joined in, lowering to a whisper to where Yu couldn't hear the next words. The second student inhaled sharply.

"Are you serious?!" He turned his attention to the girl in the red sweater, "H-Hey Yukiko-san. Mind if I ask you something…?" The girl in the red sweater, who was named Yukiko, turned her head towards the group. "Is it true that the announcer's staying at your family's inn?" Yukiko looked conflicted, and decided to opt out.

"I can't discuss such things."

Yu was listening in on all of these conversations, not really having anyone to talk to at the moment (not that he cared in the first place). Even the green-jacket girl was tricking up a conversation with Yukiko about something about rainy nights and how that Yamano lady was some dude's soul mate… Yu didn't want to even bother asking. A shadow loomed over him though, and he looked up to his left to find a short girl with blue hair walked up to him.

"So you're the new student," she greeted… in the most expressionless tone that reminded Yu of his own mother.

"Yeah," he replied, in the same emotionless tone.

"Nice to meet you. My name's Aika Nakamura. Hope we can be friends." She followed it with a quick bow.

"Yeah. Hope so, too." This was his standard answer every time he introduced himself at a new school. He felt pathetic every time he had to use the response. Even still, more girls walked up to his desk after Aika returned to her own seat. Yu was spared the conversation when the school's PA kicked on.

"_Attention students! There has been an incident inside the school district. Police officers have been dispatched around the School Zone. Please stay calm and contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible, and quickly leave the school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers. Head directly home. I repeat…"_

"Incident?!" a girl yelped.

"Something actually happened?" said girl's friend questioned her.

"C'mon! Let's go check it out!" the brown-haired girl from earlier boldly suggested. It seemed she has recovered from the Moron spiel earlier.

Everyone stood up to leave the campus, Yu not being the exception. He was planning to make the trek home by himself when two girls stopped him.

"Yo, new guy! Yah going home by yourself?" the green-jacket girl asked.

"Yes, I was planning t –"

"Why don't you come with us? This thing sounds kinda freaky…" Yu thought about it for a quick second, quickly weighing the pros and cons of walking home with two girls. He figured it wouldn't do any harm. An incident had just occurred and it could be dangerous…

"Sure, uh…" Yu trailed off due to not knowing their names at all…

"Oh, nearly forgot," the green-jacket girl chuckled, "I'm Chie Satonaka. You know I sit next to you, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, nice to meet you! Over here to my right is Yukiko Amagi." She gestured over to Yukiko, the girl in the red sweater. Yukiko looked long and hard at Yu, as if trying to remember something. After a few seconds, a light bulb went off in her head.

"Oh! You're the guy who asked me for directions this morning! It's nice to meet you… I'm sorry this is so sudden…" Chie scoffed at her friend.

"Wait, you two met each other already? WHY DIDN'T I HEAR ABOUT THIS?! And don't apologize; it makes me look bad…" As if on cue, the student who wiped out on his bike this morning came up to Chie with pleading eyes. It seemed this student was in trouble, for he looked worse for wear.

"Ummm, uh, ummmm, Satonaka-san…" the clumsy student trailed off with uneasiness, "This… was really awesome. Like, the way the moved was just amazing to see… and…" he trailed off again, not before thrusting out the DVD in question, "I'm really sorry! It was an accident! Please have mercy on me 'til my next paycheck!"

'Well that was one hell of a switch,' Yu thought. The student made a break for the door, running almost past Chie. She, however, was not happy. She could guess what was wrong with the DVD, but didn't want to believe it. Still…

"Hold it right there," she commanded, whilst kicking the student in the crotch and said student performing the perfect face-plant. As if the sky opened up, Chie opened the DVD case that held the DVD inside only to find the DVD inside was cracked…straight down the middle.

"WHAT THE HELL?! IT'S CRACKED, YOU TOOL! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY TRIAL OF THE DRAGON?!"

"…I think mine's cracked too… Critical hit to the nads…" Yukiko looked down, not sure if she should be laughing or worried.

"A-Are you alright?" Suddenly, the downed student looked up, with a glimmering ray of hope.

"Oh, Yukiko-san… You worried about me?" Chie scoffed again.

"He's fine, Yukiko. Let's ditch him and go." They both left the classroom, with Yu following suit. He took one last look at the downed student.

"I'll just leave him be…" he muttered to himself.

They exited the school's front doors and were approaching the school gate when Chie decided to strike up a conversation. The fog had just cleared up.

"So, why are you here?" she promptly asked. To Yu, this was the standard question they all asked him, only this time it was as they were walking home instead of in the classroom. He decided to give the canned answer.

"My parents are working over in Germany. I was originally supposed to go over there, but wanted to stay in Tokyo. But, things didn't work out like I had hoped and now I'm talking to you guys… not that there's anything wrong with it," he replied nonchalantly.

"So you came here because of your parents' job? Haha! I thought it was way more serious."

"But that is interesting, don't you think, Chie?" Yukiko added on, attempting to join in.

"I guess it is. Well, we'll show you the ropes around here in no time!" Chie announced excitedly. Looking at Yukiko, Chie developed a mischievous smirk on her face. She then directed her attention to Yu.

"So, tell me. You think Yukiko's cute, huh?" Chie asked, her conniving face plastered with mischief and curiosity. Yu gave a rather blank look, probably wondering why on earth a girl should be subjected to such shallow judgement. He considered all options, but with the willful look in Chie's eyes and Yukiko growing increasingly timid from the still air, he gave into providing an answer.

Remembering from this morning, Yu took note of her long, black hair, accented by the red headband she wore. Complement that with a tight-fitting red sweater that _really_ accented her slender-but-curvy figure (the kind all women would die for). Her perfectly fair skin gave way to the perfect face. Her posture and mannerisms dictated that of elegance and etiquette, whilst maintaining the innocence of a sheltered, young woman. It was like Yu found the perfect girl by all standards, an example for other young women to follow. She was the embodiment of purity, innocence, and elegance. So it all boiled down to one answer:

"Yeah," Yu responded (finally) in the most nonchalant way he could. Yukiko, as expected, turned a deeper shade of red than a ripe tomato.

"Ha! I knew it!" Chie exclaimed. Yukiko sunk into her red sweater, desperately attempting to hide her face from the now uninterested Yu Narukami.

"…Come on, don't start this again…"

'So she's put her through this before?' Yu thought, curious to why Chie would set her up in the first place.

"She's really popular at school," Chie added on.

'No kidding. I'd be surprised if she was _not_ popular.'

"But, she's never had a boyfriend. Kinda weird, huh?"

'Now you that mention it, that _is_ weird she doesn't have a boyfriend. Then again, based on what I've heard this morning, I'd be surprised if she'd like any guy at the school at all…' Yukiko sunk even lower into her sweater.

"C-Come on, stop it," Yukiko attempted to chastise her friend, which she was failing miserably at. She turned her attention to Yu as best as she could, "Y-You shouldn't believe that, okay? It's not true that I'm popular or that I never had a boyfriend!" She paused and realized her mistake, not that Yu cared anyways, "Wait, no! W-What I meant to say was… I _don't_ need a boyfriend! Geez, Chie…" Chie only chuckled at her friend's embarrassment.

"Hahaha! Sorry, sorry. But this is our chance to talk to somebody from the big city, Tokyo no less, and you barely said a word!" Chie continued to laugh and provoke Yukiko. The three continued their walk off campus.

* * *

**-_Cloudy – 4:00 PM-_**

**_Somewhere near the School District_**

The scene was rather busy with police officers and an ambulance, not that the ambulance was necessary at that point. The entire intersection was blocked off by yellow crime tape. Officers are running around, looking for clues of to what went on earlier during the day. A stretcher with a body bag on top ran past a tall, rugged man in a grey shirt and a red tie. He motioned to stop the stretcher and slightly unzipped the bag. He checked the contents inside and nodded his head in confirmation. A younger man, dressed in a suit with unruly black hair, also took a look at the contents and proceeded to sprint to a corner and regurgitate the contents of what presumably was his lunch.

"Hey Adachi!" the rugged man roared, "How long're you gonna act like a rookie? You wanna be put back on desk work?!" The younger man took a break from vomiting and looked up at what presumably was his partner and superior.

"Sorry, boss. I'm just not used to seeing –" he was cut off again with the second onset of maniacal heaving. The rugged man looked up at the TV antenna, which was now draped with blue tarp. He let out a long sigh in frustration.

"What a sight…" he mused.

* * *

**-_Cloudy – 6:00 PM-_**

**_Dojima Household_**

When Yu returned home an hour earlier, he noticed that Nanako was watching TV by herself. Her expressionless face told Yu that this was rather normal for her. Now, they were watching the local news where they had a segment on breaking news. The male reporter's tone depicted urgency and excitement… all at the same time.

"_Our top story this evening concerns a bizarre case in a quiet suburb. Around noon today, a woman was found dead near the Samegawa River in Inaba."_

Now this grabbed Yu's attention. He didn't hear about this earlier when walking home with Chie and Yukiko. On top of that, the fact that it happened near the School District was probably the reason why they were held back for a bit of time and the reason why there were police sirens wailing nearby the school. Nanako was also drawn to the television. Her question that followed puzzled Yu quite a bit.

"I wonder if Dad's not coming home again tonight…" This question made Yu sink inside. Who knew the man of the house would stay out late? Then again, a huge case happened and they needed an experienced detective on the scene. The report continued and what followed next sent the entire town into an uproar.

"_The deceased has been identified as Ms. Mayumi Yamano, a 27-year-old announcer at the local television station. The initial results of the Inaba Police Department's investigation have revealed that…" _Nanako's eyes widened.

"Ah! The Inaba Police Department! Th-That's where Dad works!"

"…" Nanako's demeanor reeled back into the emotionless, semi-depressed it was. This time, there was a hint of disappointment in her facial expression. Yu assumed this was happened on a normal basis and it was really hitting the poor little girl hard. Yu had to do something… say something… to reassure her.

"Hey, it'll be alright." She still wasn't satisfied by the… base-level of comfort he attempted to give her.

"…I know. That's his job, so this stuff happens… a lot…"

'Wow, talk about giving up and submitting to depression…' The report continued.

"_The body was found hanging from a large television antenna atop a local resident's roof. Authorities are uncertain as to why the body was in such a state. With the cause of death also uncertain, police continue to investigate whether the death is an accident or a homicide. A thick fog common to the area has slowed their progress, and plans to fully canvas the area are delayed until tomorrow."_ Nanako looked intrigued by the report.

"They found her on the roof? That's scary…"

'For a 6-year-old to take interest in that is actually quite alarming…' Luckily the station decided to break for commercial when Nanako's mood completely changed, probably due to the commercial that was playing at the moment.

"Oh! It's Junes!" she beamed.

It was the Junes commercial, which Nanako had akin to singing along with the jingle. She sang the jingle and looked at Yu. He was wondering what to do in this situation. Ask her about it? Compliment her? Join her? Yu took the third option.

"Your Junes!" he followed Nanako in quite a subdued fashion. She looked happy, for once, and amazed.

"You memorized it already? I'm the best one in my class!" She kept singing the jingle to herself over and over again, completely forgetting about the report and story that just happened. It was one of those times where Yu was thankful for a normally annoying commercial. The story remained on Yu's mind, however. There were many questions unanswered about it: How did the body get there? When did it happen? Who would do such a thing? What was going on in the person's mind when they did that? As much as these questions nagged at Yu, he thought it best to leave it alone, less he wanted a one-way ticket to Germany. He decided to sleep the thoughts off, hoping to forget them by the next day…

* * *

**-_4/13/2011 – Cloudy – 8:20 AM-_**

**_Near Yasogami High School_**

~CRASH!~

Sounds of metal, plastic, rubber, and a groaning teenager could be heard throughout the neighborhood. A spinning wheel from that of a bicycle could also be heard. There was a student missing the entire upper-half of his body, which was swallowed up by the trashcan he landed in. Yu had seen accidents happen, but none of them compared the stupidity of the situation this poor lad had found himself in.

"Help! Someone! I'm stuck! Help me, someone!"

'Oh, hell… this was the guy who wiped out on a telephone pole yesterday in the rain while hilariously holding an umbrella. Maybe I should help him out. Just once.' Yu grabbed a hold of his torso and was easily able to lift him out of the evil trashcan of doom. He set the poor boy down on his feet and gave him some breathing room. He definitely smelt… like trashcan…

"Whew, you saved me. Thanks! Ummm…" the boy trailed off. Yu now took notice of the orange headphones and remembered that he sat directly behind him.

"Oh, yeah! That's right… you're the new transfer student who sits in front of me. Yu Narukami, right? I'm Yosuke Hanamura. Nice to meet yah!" If anything was running in Yu's mind at the moment, it was probably how on earth this kid could still be talking with an upbeat energy _right after _taking the cake for the best trashcan tumble in the history of trashcan tumbles.

"Uh… are you okay?" Yu asked just to make sure the kid didn't have brain damage.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Yosuke replied, not missing a beat. They walked to school together, with Yosuke deciding to not ride his bike in fear of another trashcan wipeout.

"So, you getting' used to this place?" Yosuke asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

"A bit."

"Wow, that's fast. Just like you, I also moved from Tokyo a little before you did. There isn't much to do here compared to that city, but there is that certain… something you can't get anywhere else. The air's clean, the food's great… Oh, you know about the local delicacy? It's grilled steak, man! Like that's anything special, huh? ('I sense some sarcasm in there,' Yu thought) I know a place where you can get it cheap. Wanna come? You helped me out this morning, so it's on me."

"Did someone say 'STEAK'?" a female voice rang out from behind them. Yosuke grimaced at the familiar voice. They both turned their heads to find Chie behind them spinning what appeared to be her broken copy of "Trial of the Dragon." She wore a sneer on her face, clearly directed at the student with the bike.

"This is how you can pay for breaking my stuff," she proclaimed. It was looking pretty bad for Yosuke today.

* * *

**-_Cloudy – 4:00 PM-_**

**_Junes Department Store Food Court_**

"WHAT?! THIS ISN'T STEAK YOU DICKWAD!" Chie yelled.

"Well, once you hopped on the freeloader train, my plans had to change!" Yosuke countered. Yu swore he could feel the table itself heat up from the aggressive banter between the two. The three had found themselves at the food court level of the department store chain with burgers, fries and a drink, well two of them had it; Yu took the other option of a grilled chicken sandwich with no fries and a drink, most likely iced tea.

"That's still not a reason to take us to _your_ place!"

"Dude! This isn't my place or anything…"

"Your place?" Yu asked Yosuke in confusion. Yosuke realized what the problem was.

"Oh, right. I haven't told you yet, huh? The reason why I moved here six months back was this location had just opened up, and my dad was assigned to manage it. So, our entire family came out here." Yosuke held his drink up for a toast.

"Here, this is to welcome you to town. Satonaka, yours is on me too."

"You bet it is," Chie mumbled irritably. Small talk was engaged between the three about Junes when Chie abruptly changed the subject.

"Say, a lot of stores in the shopping district started closing, huh."

"…You can't blame it all on Junes, can you?"

'It seems like Yosuke really _does_ care about the family business.' That's when Yosuke noticed something past Yu, like a coworker he seemed to be oddly familiar with.

"Hey… it's Saki-senpai! Senpai! SENPAI!" he yelled as he ran over to the brown-haired girl that had just sat down. Yu took a look at her and noted that she was very pretty, but looked worse for wear. Her eyes had bags underneath them and her head was cast downwards. Yu could almost make out a frown as she noticed Yosuke making her way towards her.

"Hey. What's up Hana-chan?" the girl, known as Saki, greeted half-heartedly. Yu looked confused at the newcomer, which Chie decided to help him out on.

"Who's that?" Yu asked, quite puzzled at the turn of events.

"Oh, that's Saki Konishi," Chie responded quickly, "a third year. Her family runs a liquor store in the shopping district. She's pretty cool, and pretty, too. What did you think he was his girlfriend? Ha! He wishes. I think she treats him like a little brother or something." Yu looked back and noticed that Saki didn't seem too happy at the appearance of "Hana-chan."

'She oddly seems annoyed…'

"Nothing much, just hangin' out with some friends here, hehe," Yosuke said as he tried to smooth one over, to end in abysmal failure with the unchanging expression on Saki's face.

"I see you're boosting the family business?" Saki questioned, with a slight hint of bitterness in her voice. Of course, Yosuke took it as a light-hearted stab.

"Madam, you wound me!" he replied jokingly. Yu did a mental face-palm.

'I think that wound was supposed to be serious…'

"That aside, are you okay? You don't lo –"

"Hey, look! Is that the transfer student?" she suddenly said, peering over his shoulder and noting the odd, silver-haired boy at the table. Saki and Yosuke walked over to the other pair at the table. Her attention was completely directed towards Yu.

"Hey! You must be the transfer student! Listen, Hana-chan doesn't have a lot of friends, but he's a good guy. If he ever starts to annoy you, just let me know, okay?" Throughout that introduction of sorts, Yosuke felt a little less confident about himself. Yu almost had to feel sorry for him, as if he hadn't been kicked in the balls and thrown in the trashcan already.

"Nah, he's a great guy…" Yu said out of pity, 'but you could learn how to take hints, Hanamura…' Saki just chuckled.

"I know, I know. I was just kidding. Anyways, I'm off my break. See you later!" Saki sang as she turned around to return to her shift. As if in an instant, Yosuke remembered something.

"Senpai! Wait, Senpai!" Luckily, Saki turned around just as she was about to enter the building.

"Hm?"

"About that thing?" It took a second for Saki to register what that "thing" was.

"Oh yeah! We can make plans about it during my next break." Yosuke's face light up instantly as she disappeared into the building.

"BOOYAAAH!" he yelled loudly, complete with an "I won the lottery" dance motion. Chie chuckled at this scene.

"What's got you all excited?" Chie asked. Yosuke summoned two of what seemed to be tickets to an action movie. Wait. There was a movie theater around here? Yu was now curious to find out. "Oh I see haha!"

Once Yosuke simmered down and took his seat, he decided to switch gears.

"All that awesomeness aside, you know that 'incident' yesterday? You guys think it's murder?" Yu and Chie held black faces.

"Oooh, what if the culprit behind it was still lurking around…? Heehee…"

"Sheesh, you shouldn't joke about stuff like that. So have you guys ever heard of the Midnight Channel?" Both Yosuke and Yu responded with a "Huh?"

"You're supposed to look into a TV that's switched off, alone, exactly at midnight on a rainy night. While you're staring at your own image, another person will appear on the screen… And they say that person's your soul-mate."

"And here I thought you outgrew that useless kiddy crap!" Yosuke detested.

"Fine! If you don't believe it, let's try it out tonight! It's supposed to be raining."

"Really? Now who in their right mind would actually do this?..."

* * *

**-_Rainy_ – _11:59 PM-_**

**_Yu's bedroom_**

'I'm doing this… I can't believe I'm actually doing this…' Yu thought as he stared at the small television set in front of him. After the events that passed during the afternoon and dinner, he thought he might as well try it out… to humor Chie, of course.

-_Earlier that evening-_

"_So what went through your mind when you saw it? Could you tell she was dead? Did you see her face?" _a reporter pressed.

"_U-Ummm…" _the girl replied with great reporter was annoying, so annoying that Yu felt sorry for the pixelated girl who was interviewed. Her voice sounded oddly like Saki Konishi, whom he had met earlier in the afternoon. They did leave the Yasogami school uniform visible, though. She sounded frightened and nervous. Yu knew he would be if he was in that situation.

"_Don't you think it's scary that someone was killed on a foggy day?"_

"_Huh…? She was killed?" _the girl sounded a lot more panicked.

"_Oh err… So did you see anyone suspicious?"_

"_No, not really…"_

"_We heard you found it when you left school earl –" _The reporter was cut off and the news returned to the main anchors.

"_We apologize for that. We'll take a break with a word from our sponsors." _The Junes commercial starts playing, with Nanako singing along as usual. She looked back at her father, who was surprisingly home this evening, in expectance.

"Hey, Dad! Can we go to Junes together sometime?" A soft snore can be heard from the couch. It seemed that Dojima had passed out a while ago. Nanko, dejected, let out a long, depressed sigh.

-_Back to the present time-_

It was raining like it was on the first night he was here. This time, thunder and lightning were thrown into the mix to create a more eerie effect. Yu had darkened the room lights five minutes prior. He wanted to see a perfect image of whoever his soul-mate was.

The TV started emitting static and started to pixelate and color itself yellow. Soon, the yellow glow lit up the room and a silhouette formed: the silhouette of a girl. Yu was completely fixated by this phenomenon.

'What the f –' Suddenly, a surge of pain rushed through his head, not unlike the one he felt when he first arrived in Inaba. Instinctively, he clutched his head with his right hand, losing balance as the pain grew more intense. As if he needed anymore nonsense, a voice popped into his head.

'_I AM THOU! AND THOU ART I! THOU ART THE ONE WHO OPENS THE DOOR!'_

Yu's left hand had somehow made its way to the TV. Instead of propping support for the teen currently with head trauma, it slipped through the rippling screen and sucked the poor teen in… well as far as it could whilst getting the rest of his body stuck.

Meanwhile, Nanako had woken up to some very loud grunts coming from the upstairs hall. She rushed over to the only room on the second floor, sensing that her cousin was in danger. She threw open the door as hard as she could.

"Hey! I'm coming in!" she yelled as she threw open the door to find a human, presumably her cousin, halfway inside the television.

"Let me pull you out!" Nanako cried. She grabbed hold of his waist from the side and yanked him back into the room. What she didn't count on was the sheer weight difference between the two and subsequently let go, causing Yu to hit the back of his head on the table.

"Hey! Heeey! Are you okay?" Nanako called out a little softer. Yu finally opened his eyes and saw Nanako staring down at him. He waited for a second before a moment of realization dawned on him: 1) The Midnight Channel actually exists 2) There was a creepy voice in his head that sounded like a hollow version of himself 3) The TV tried to eat him alive 4) Nanako saw the whole thing 5) If she told his uncle, he would be on a one-way trip to Germany. Yu looked back at Nanako in sheer terror.

"Nanako-chan, please tell me you didn't see all of that…"

"Uh, why?"

"Let's just say if you father finds out about this, my stay here might be cut very, very short."

"Oh, okay. I won't say anything. I promise."

"Good. Now you should get to bed. It's past midnight."

"Okay." Everything was quiet after Nanako returned to her room downstairs. Yu retreated to his own futon with one thing on his mind:

'What in the fuck just happened?!'

* * *

**-_4/14/2011 – Rainy – 3:30 PM-_**

**_Class 2-2_**

"So my soul-mate was a girl…" Yosuke recalled.

"I saw a girl, too! Wait, does that mean we have the same soul-mate?" Chie looked over to Yukiko's desk, "Hey Yukiko, did you ever watch that Midnight Channel thing?"

"Nuh-uh," Yukikio replied. She glanced at the clock and let out a sharp gasp.

"What?" Chie asked out of concern, "You gotta work at the inn today?"

"Sorry… things are getting a little out of hand right now…" Chie only smiled.

"Hey, don't sweat it! We'll catch up later. See yah!"

"Sorry, and good bye." Yukiko quickly scurried out of the classroom, leaving the three to talk amongst themselves.

"By the way, what happened to you?" Yosuke exclaimed, while laughing at the same time. Yu had just finished explaining what had transpired the past evening before Chie changed the subject to that of the subject of the midnight channel. Chie was trying to hold in her laughter as well.

"You mean to tell me that you got stuck in the TV while watching that thing? Weird, all I saw were some weird shadow people."

"I saw that, too," Yu countered. At this point, he decided to forgo his usual social ignorance. He needed to tell someone what he saw last night, just to confirm it was all a dream.

"Well, with a TV that small, I'd say it's pretty believable!" Yosuke laughed. Chie looked like she just came up with a brilliant idea.

"I got an idea! Let's try and go with a bigger TV! My family was looking for one anyways."

"Hah, yeah! We got some new ones in stock that'll fit chyah!" This, of course, was directed at Yu's seemingly dubious experience last night. Yu, on the other hand, was not as amused.

"…sigh…"

* * *

**-_4:00 PM-_**

**_Electronics Department – Junes Department Store_**

"You realize there's this thing called a joke, right?" Yosuke deadpanned. The three found themselves standing in the middle of the electronics department in Junes staring at a large television.

"Whoa! This is big. And pricey, too. This would be awesome to watch my kung-fu movies on!" Chie marveled as she gazed at the TV.

"Yup. Okay, now, let's see if we can hop inside the TV," Yosuke proposed. Both he and Chie stuck their hands out and placed it on the screen, holding it there for a couple seconds.

"Just as I thought, can't go inside a television set. Maybe you really were just dreaming, dude."

"I was not dreaming," Yu countered. The vivid memories were still fresh in his mind.

"Then you must've eaten something bad for dinner. Also, this TV's so thin, you'd probably just end up on the other side… or your head only partly in."

"No."

"Anyways," Chie interrupted, "since we're here. My family's been looking at getting a new TV." Yosuke lit up. He walked Chie over to a fancy TV that was a little bit smaller.

"Well, miss. We have the perfect TV her for you. It's the latest model from Sony, our flagship brand!" Chie looked at the TV and was impressed. However, she noticed the price tag.

"Whooaaa… That's waaay too many zeros! My family's looking for a cheap one!" Chie yelled in surprise.

"Well lead off with that, next time!" Yosuke countered. He took her over to another set of television more modest sized. Meanwhile, Yu thought that maybe the events of last night were a dream. He decided to confirm it. He slowly placed his hand on the screen and pushed forward. Needless to say, he was reliving the events of last night.

"So this model –" Yosuke looked over towards Yu, who had his arm halfway inside the large television. He instantly went bug-eyed.

"What the –" he exclaimed.

"What?" Chie asked, not sure what was going on with Yosuke. She stared in the direction he was and saw the same thing he saw. "WHAAAAA?!"

They both rushed over to the television Yu stuck his hand in and gawked at the sight.

"What the holy hell?!" Yosuke screamed, "How the hell are you doing that?!"

"Is this a new feature?!" Chie asked frantically.

"No way! It's some sort of magic trick. What's the secret, dude?"

"Uh, there is none. I probably can go deeper," Yu proposed with the straightest face possible. He then stuck the entire upper half of his upper body into the TV. Naturally, this freaked out the other two even more.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Yosuke yelled in an even more frantic state.

"All I see inside here is just… empty space…" Yu replied muffled.

"Wait, what do you mean inside?!" Yosuke panicked.

"W-W-Whatdayah mean empty space?!" Chie panicked even more.

"It's pretty spacious in here."

"WHAT THE HELL?" Yosuke yelled out, giving up all sanity that was left in him.

"J-J-JUST WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?!" Chie yelled over Yosuke

"Aw man, I'm going to piss my pants!"

"What th– Are you going to piss your pants?"

"I've been holding it in all day! I-I haven't had a chance to go... Aaarrgh! Can't… hold it… anymore!" Yosuke squirms as he runs to the nearest bathroom… only to be found running back. "Shit… customers coming!"

"WHAT?! But we've got a guy half stuck in the TV here! Wh-What're we gonna do?!" They both started running around in a frenzy, not knowing what to do with a teen half stuck in a television set. That was when Yosuke accidentally bumped into Yu and he started to fall inwards. This is when their level of panic peaked.

"WHAT THE… W-WAI– WHOOOOOAAAA!" The three of them fell into the television screen… the screaming drawing attention of some customers…

"…The fuck was that?"

**_In Transit – Inside the TV_**

Yu had never taken drugs before. He never wanted to experience getting high off of marijuana or crack. But if he had to reference something to it, this would definitely take the cake for that experience. All he saw in front of him were spinning white squares; he almost had a lapse of vertigo. He had no sense of direction here, not sense of balance. He was in freefall and didn't know when he would hit the bottom. He thought he would certainly die on impact. If gravity falls at 9.8 meters per second per second, he was certainly falling faster than a jetliner on turbo. Oh, the shame of it all.

"UMPH!" the three of them grunted as they hit the bottom. Instead of doing a face-plant like Yu had imagined, they rolled out onto the ground. Yosuke was the first to roll out, then followed by Chie, then followed by Yu. He opened his eyes to look around for the other two…

"Argh! I think I broke my ass…" Yosuke replied from a distance. Yu followed the voice… and found them in a rather compromising position. Yosuke lied on his back pinned down by Chie, who was sprawled out on top of him. Yosuke squirmed in pain. While Chie was trying as best as she could to roll off of him.

"Narukami-kun… please don't say anything else about this… if you want to live," Yosuke wheezed. Yu kept silent and helped Chie off of the clumsy teen. Once the dust settled and everybody was able to sit up, they all looked at each other, and looked around them. This was clearly not Junes.

"Man," Chie started, "where the hell are we? Some place in Junes?"

"I FOR _FUCKING_ SURE know that this madhouse doesn't exist inside Junes! I mean, we fell through a TV! …Actually, uh… what the hell _is_ going on here?!"

"So, uh, we're dead right?"

"Oh please, Chie! Don't joke around right now!"

"…Are you guys okay?" Yu finally asked, questioning the sanity levels of the two which is currently at "none."

"My ass is cracked…" Yosuke responded, nursing his behind all the while.

"Of course it is!" Chie added on, not making Yosuke feel any better about it. Yosuke finally took a good look at his surroundings.

"WHOA!"

"W-What now!? Did you wet your pants?!" Chie panicked. It was seriously like a scared mother doting on her child.

"No, stupid! Look around!" Even Chie began to fully observe her surroundings. They were on some kind of platform, or stage. Large lattice bracings and supports sprang up from the sides. At the top, spotlights and their wiring could be seen shining down below on the group. The light, though, was dispersed by the thick fog that surrounded them. It was very hard to see past the stage.

"Is this… a studio?" Chie wondered, "All this fog… or is it smoke? There's no place like this in Inaba, is there…?"

"Hells the fuck no there isn't!" Yosuke shouted, "But man, this place is huge…"

"What're we gonna do?" They both looked to the only person who hadn't talked much.

"I'm going home," Yu coolly declared.

"G-Good plan," Chie agreed, "Look. We need to get home and…!" She paused as she realized something missing.

"H-Huh?! Wait a minute… Which way did we come in from? I don't see a way in… or out!" Yosuke started to panic once more at this realization.

"What? That can't be right! H-How could that be!"

"I don't know! Don't ask me! I can't take this anymore! I wanna go home!" At that moment, strange squeaking sounds could be heard in the distance. The three looked in the direction it was coming from and saw a dark, giant figure approaching them.

"Uh g-g-guys," Chie called nervously, "w-w-w-what is that?" She pointed to the approaching figure. Per instinct, Yosuke yelled, Chie screamed, and the three of them bolted in one direction, hoping they'd end up somewhere safe.

They were running endlessly on a bridge, a catwalk of some sort. The somehow reached the end of the catwalk and took a break there. The three of them where panting for air.

"Whew… I think we lost that freak," Chie sigh in relief. Yu, however, looked further and saw a building. And at the entrance of that building sat another figure. This figure took notice of the group and walked into the building. Yosuke noticed that Yu started walking towards the building, who was feeling edgy at the presence of the figure.

"Wait, dude! Where are you going?" Yosuke yelled, running after the silver-haired teen.

"To hide in the building."

"Okay… we're gonna trust you on this one. C'mon, Chie." The three rushed into the building.

Inside the building, they were led to a single door that was unlocked. They stepped inside and spread out in the room. Yosuke was the first the step in.

"Hey, is it me or is the fog lighter in here." With that, Yu took a good look around the room and noticed several things wrong: the walls splattered with red and yellow paint, posters of a person with the face cut out, a chair in the center of the room, and a noose hanging above it.

"W-Where the hell are we?!" Yu said as his eyes widened at the grotesqueness of the room. This was the first time anyone has ever seen Yu in a panicked state. Using this as a cue, Yosuke was immediately fixated on the noose and chair. Chie took note of the posters. It was eerily silent until…

"WAAAAH!" Yosuke suddenly screamed.

"W-W-What?!" Chie screamed in return.

"I can't hold it any longer! My bladder's gonna explode!" Yosuke danced around while holding his crotch. He retreated to a corner and unzipped his pants. Chie was beyond mortified at this point.

"W-W-W-Wait! What are you doing? You can't do that here? It's somebody's room. Narukami-san, stop him!" Yu looked perplexed.

"Why would I do that?" He clearly did not care.

"THANK YOU, Narukami-san. Now, I can't go if everyone's staring at me!"

"Why not?!"

"I GET STAGEFRIGHT DAMN IT!"

"Alright, alright; I'll go outside, then." Chie made her way outside… to find the same figure they were running from. Only this time, she can clearly see it. Of course, Chie yells really loudly. Yosuke zips up his pants and runs out with Yu to find a… bear?

This bear, or the thing they were running from earlier, was of the blue and red variety. It had a blue and beige head with a red body. A zipper separated the two parts. The bear had large, oval eyes and a large mouth. There was a patch of blue fur(?) that stuck up at the grown of its head. The red body was in that of a suit with red stubs for arms and legs. It looked like it came from a circus.

"What in the world…" Yosuke wondered, "What the hell are you?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you guys!" the bear questioned back, angrily. After all, they were in its territory. But more importantly…

"I-I-It can talk?!" Chie exclaimed in surprise.

"Of course!" the bear retorted, "I AM a bear! Geez, I've lived here since _bear_-ever!"

'Wait… did that bear just make a bear pun?' Yu mentally face-palmed. This was really getting out of hand.

"Dude, what is up with this guy?! It's beyond creepy" Yosuke said, not less bewildered than before. The bear suddenly recoiled and started flailing about.

"K-K-Keep it down! Go on and get out of here! Run along and go back to your den!" Suddenly, strange noises could be heard from far away. The bear was really in a frantic flail now. It pulled out a black pair of glasses and shoved them into Yu's hands.

"Here, here! Use this and just go! The shadows… the shadows will…" the bear trailed off. Even Chie was confused.

"Shadows? What do you mean by –" The strange sounds got closer. Now they sound like audible moans. Yu decided to throw the glasses on, to humor the bear.

"You actually put those things on?" Yosuke questioned his actions concerning the bear's glasses. Speaking of the bear, it went into full insanity mode as the moans got louder.

"Oh no, no, no, nooo…" it cried. Yu looked down the hallway, noting that the fog had cleared up. He also noticed that there were forms spawning from every crevice and corner of the hallway.

"Something's there!" Yu said frantically. This was when the bear completely lost it.

"The shadows! THEY'RE HERE!" and the bear ran for it.

"Hey! Wait up!" Yosuke called after the running bear, only for the bear to have disappeared. These forms have now taken shape to what appears to be floating mouths with a purple stripe design. They moved towards the group. With one appearing from the door of the room they were just in. Naturally, the group was in trouble.

"Shit! I'm outta here!" Yosuke yelled, bolting for the stairs.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Chie screamed.

"Every man for himself." Yu shouted, in a very out of character fashion. They eventually made it to the building's courtyard and playground where they were surrounded by these floating creatures. They were frozen, unable to move. One creature floated over and licked Chie, instantly knocking her out.

"Holy shit! It just slurped Chie!" Yosuke yelled as she hit the ground.

"Damn it!" Yu yelled, now in full panic mode.

"Dude, we're done for!"

"I can't… move my legs!" Yu braced himself for the inevitable. He was going through his last thoughts as a live human being. 'I really am going to die here. I'll never get to graduate high school. I'll never get to get my dream job. I'll never make friends. I'll never get to meet a girl who I can hold feelings for. Life is pitiful, huh. What a great way to go out…' Time suddenly froze around him. That voice from the previous night appeared again.

'_I AM THOU. THOU ART I…' _The creatures stopped their advance.

"Hey! They stopped!" Yosuke breathed a sigh of relief. A glow from his right side grabbed his attention, however, as a blue card appeared out of thin air above Yu. It had a mask on the back, and a guy with a pointy hat and a shoulder sack in front. Yu held his hand out, unsure of what to do at this point.

"Narukami-san… what's that?" Yu promptly ignored Yosuke for the time being. The card was now spinning just above Yu's palm.

'_THOU HAS OPEN THINE EYES. THE TIME…(multiple images flashed by his eyes) IS NOW!' _Yu stopped for a moment and gasped for air. At that moment, a portal opened up below him.

"Per…" the portal became brighter and light up around him.

"So…" Energy could be seen gathering around Yu as he leaned on the last syllable.

"NA!" His eyes narrowed as he reached up and crushed the card. Out from behind him appeared a large, humanoid figure with a uniquely designed helmet, a badass long-coat, yellow eyes, blades for shoes, and a big, fat, sword.

'_I AM IZANAGI, CREATOR OF THE WORLD! BOW DOWN TO ME, YOU IMBECILES!'_ The figure behind Yu, now known as Izanagi, began its tirade on the floating tongues of death. One stab after another, Izanagi took out the shadows. Several managed to grab ahold of his helmet, but not for long. He shook them off and stabbed them twice as hard. Now, Yu wanted to finish the bunch, once and for all.

'_Master, call the spell!'_

'Wait, what spell?' As if Izanagi knew what Yu was asking, Yu suddenly received a list of commands to use in his head. 'I guess we'll find out of this works.'

"Zio!" Yu yelled as he held his hand out in front of him. Lightning and electricity were summoned form the red skies above and crashed down onto the remaining creatures, effectively disintegrating them into a black mush. It was over. They were able escape with no harm done. Yu, from the rush of excitement and power, unbuttoned his school jacket. Yosuke was completely taken aback by what he just saw.

"You… are awesome…"

"Per… sona," Yu gasped in between breaths, "This power… it belongs to me…" As if a light switch flipped in his head, he bathed in his newfound power, putting aside all of the misery and boredom he experienced for the past 16 years.

"Anyways, we gotta wake up Chie and get out of here." Yu come out of his power-induced stupor and noticed that Chie was still on the ground unconscious. The both ran over to her.

"Chie!" Yosuke called out, "Chie… c'mon wake up, Chie!" The sleeping beauty woke up to Yosuke and Yu hovering over her.

"Ugggh… are we dead?" Chie groaned as she sat up.

"No. They're long gone!" Yosuke said enthusiastically. Chie looked at everyone bewildered.

"W-What?"

"He slaughtered them!" he gestured towards Yu, "Dude… what did you call that thing again? Persona?" Yu tried to remember the battle, but couldn't recall what had transpired.

"Not sure…" Yu trailed off. He really couldn't remember. He could only remember the adrenaline and the power rush that still surged through his body.

"Huh… anyways, let's get out of here before more of those things come back."

They walked back the way they came, after a little help from the angle they saw the building's entrance. Eventually, they got back to the entrance where they found the bear walking around.

"There you are!" Chie yelled out to the bear. They ran up to it and pulled it to the center of the stage. "We finally found you. Now how do we get out of here?"

"You need an exit?" the bear asked, just to be sure.

"Look, you look like you know the ins and outs of this place pretty well." Yosuke pressured the bear.

"That's not important right now!" the bear brushed off the subject at hand, "What did you with the shadows?"

"You mean those monsters?" Chie asked for assurance.

"Yeah, yeah!"

"What are they?" Yosuke added on.

"Did you make those shadow things?" Yu capped it off. This made the bear turn very angry, very quickly.

"ARRRGH! I've had it up to hear with people bargaining in and riling up the shadows!" It slammed its feet down and a stack of old televisions appeared out of thin air. This certainly caught the three by surprise.

"Whoa," Yosuke and Chie sang in unison.

"TVs?" Yu asked puzzled. The bear was rather impatient, however.

"Now go one and scram! As you can see, I'm a busy bear." It began shoving the three towards the television set, with a struggle ensuing between the four. Suddenly, they were traveling through the vortex of rectangle and landed on a hard surface. They had landed back on the Junes electronics floor.

"OOF!"

"Geeez, that hurt…" Chie moaned.

"Goddamn, I really hate that bear…" Yosuke groaned, completely missing that Chie was on top on him… again.

"We made it back," Yu announced. Yosuke and Chie quickly shouted in rejoice and hugged each other, with Chie realizing that she was in fact hugging Yosuke and decided to knee him in the crotch.

"OW! Goddammit…"

"Don't take advantage of the situation, you big perv!" Chie yelled. Yu noticed something at the far corner of the wall: a poster just like the one they saw inside the creepy room. Chie walked over to him and looked at the same poster.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" Chie called to Yu, who was still fixated on the poster. "Oh, that's Misuzu Hiiragi. Isn't she the one whose husband had an affair with that reporter lady who died the other day?"

"It could be related to it…" Yu mused. This comment apparently set Yosuke off.

"Yaaargh, stop! No more! I don't think my heart can take it."

"Yeah, I'm feeling kinda woozy. I'm heading home," Chie agreed, submitting to exhaustion. Yu thought it would be best to do the same, so they all exited Junes and went their separate ways.

* * *

**-_Rainy - 7:30 PM-_**

**_Dojima Household_**

When Yu opened the front door, he was expecting some kind of trouble; he was an hour and a half late after all. Of course, Dojima and Nanako were waiting at the table for him. He felt sluggish and was slow to move towards the table in the living room. Once he sat down, he grabbed a bento and started munching on it, very slowly. Dojima looked like he wanted to talk to Yu about something, though.

"Hey, uh ,welcome home. Sorry to bother you about this, but, u-um, I doubt you know, but have you heard of a student named Saki Konishi?" Yu had indeed heard of her, and met her on top of that.

"Well, she wasn't at school today…" 'Based on what I heard floating around the school…'

"Oh. I see… To be honest… we got a call from her family. She's disappeared. We've got people looking for her, but she hasn't been found yet..."

"Ah."

"…Work just keeps piling up…" Dojima sighed to himself. Yu found himself nodding on an off at the table, humorously missing his mouth at times. Dojima took note of this and took his chopstick from his hand.

"Hey… you alright there? I guess you're still adjusting to the environment here. Why don't you go ahead and take a rest." Yu did exactly what he said and marched himself slowly up the stairs and into his room, where he didn't even bother pulling out the futon, stripped down to his boxers, and collapsed on the couch passing out in an instant…

* * *

**-_?-_**

A girl trudged along a lonely pathway surrounded by fog. She didn't know where she was going, or how she ended up there. All she knew was to keep walking forward. The area was dimly lit, and she couldn't see in front of her. She was a lost lamb, nowhere to run to, nowhere to return to.

The roar of an engine started closing in from behind her. She heeded no attention to it, only turning her head when the limousine pulled up next to her. The door opened and an invitational hand was extended from the vehicle. She didn't know what to do but take the hand and pull her in. She shut the door behind her and was offered a seat next to the old man that was present. She sat down, and directed her attention to the old man.

"Now, then. It seems we have a lost soul in the sea of consciousness," the old man mused, "What is your name, dear?" The girl looked perplexed. She concentrated hard to remember something, but came up with nothing.

"… I don't remember…" she sadly replied.

"Gooood," the old man said, "Welcome to the Velvet Room… Marie…"

* * *

**A/N: **I hope you all are enjoying this rewrite of the novelization so far. I'm certainly excited about it. I'll be combining Golden, the two anime for P4, and aspects that are unique to this fanfiction series. As you can all tell, this will be the real Part 1 of the P4X series. I haven't decided if I'll do a P3 fic or not, but that will be decided after I finish this one. As always, read, love, and review! :D


	3. In His Darkest Secrets

**A/N:** Hey, everyone! I'm back with a new [edited] chapter. New chapters from Chapter 5 will be out in the coming weeks!

Shout-outs to Anime/Manga/Light Novel/Video Games in Chapter 1 and 2: Dragon Ball [Z] (Ch 1) and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (Ch 1)

Legend:

**_-Date – Weather – Time-_**

**_Location_**

"Speech"

'Thought'

_"Speech from the other line of the phone or electronics"_

_'Persona speech'_

_**"Shadow Speech"**_

* * *

**Chapter 3 – In His Darkest Secrets**

* * *

**_-4/15/2011 – Foggy – 7:00 AM-_**

It was sunrise… only the sun's morning rays never reached the ground. The thick fog that engulfed the small town masked the evil what lied within. It was too early to be out in the morning, with the occasional jogger running up and down the flood plain and through the neighborhood. The sounds of jay birds and finches could barely be heard, no matter how close one got to the trees. It was eerily silent throughout, not so much one living soul making so much as a peep.

This jogger continued breathlessly along her path towards the plain's exit and turned east towards the shopping district. She ran past the closed shops as they whizzed by in the sea of murkiness. Her long brown hair fluttered in the mist as her fists and legs pumped their way forward. Her selection of J-Rock and J-Pop isolated herself from the eeriness of the atmosphere. She didn't notice the panicked state of the alcohol shop she passed by as she turned the corner onto the main road.

She came to a stopping point in a neighborhood a little while later, resting herself on a telephone poll. Exhausted, she threw her head back, glancing up at the dreary morning sky hoping to get some more oxygen flowing into her system. Immediately, she noticed something hanging from the telephone pole.

Stepping away from the telephone poll, she looked up at the wires and noticed a peculiar figure, one that was definitely not supposed to be hanging there. She narrowed her eyes to a squint to see the details… and popped them right back open as she recognized the figure: a high school girl in her school uniform hanging upside down from the top. A scream could be heard for miles…

* * *

**_-Rainy – 8:15 AM-_**

**_Yasogami High School Entrance_**

It was raining, just like evening before, the evening that Yu desperately wanted to forget. He walked with his umbrella with his normally stoic face when two girls came up from behind.

"Hey!" a cheery voice called out, surely belonging to Chie, "Mornin'!"

"Good morning," a calmer, sweeter voice followed, surely belonging to Yukiko.

"…Morning…" Yu replied in a dead manner. Chie and Yukiko looked at Yu for a moment.

"…You okay?" Chie asked in worry.

"…Not a good night's sleep," Yu explained… in a dead manner.

"Oh. I guess –"

"Hey Yuki~," a fourth voice joined in ahead of them. They all drew attention to a student standing to the left of the gate. He was without an umbrella and his uniform was beyond soaked. Speaking of said uniform, it was unfamiliar to the three.

"Uh, hi?" Yukiko asked confused. Several students walking by started whispering to each other.

"Dude, who is that guy?"

"Does he go to our school?"

"Doesn't he know that Amagi's off limits?"

"He's gonna fail so hard at the Amagi Challenge…"

"I've been waiting all morning, Yuki~" the boy crooned. This was getting way beyond creepy, and he only said two sentences. Those dead fisheyes pierced into the souls of the three, sending them into instant darkness and fear. Yukiko was forever lost in it, Yu was wondering what to do in this situation, and Chie was fed up with his behavior.

"Let's go hang out, Yuki~"

"W-W-What?!" Yukiko panicked.

"Hey! Why don't you just leave her alone, you creep!" Chie yelled. The boy ignored her and narrowed his eyes towards Yukiko. She cowered in fear.

"Well? Are you coming, or not?!" the boy became more aggressive with his approach. Yukiko wanted to desperately hide in her sweater, burning all memory of this interaction away.

"N-No, I'm not going!" she finally mustered, a bit seemingly small to the aggressively forward student in front of her. Said student finally burst his bubble.

"FUCK YOU! Stupid bitch." The boy left the premise to wallow away in self-hatred and pain. Yukiko was left dazed and confused. Chie was left wondering about said boy.

"Dude, what was up with that guy? He really bugs."

"W-What did he want from me?" Yukiko finally asked. Yu just blankly stared, feeling the awkwardness of the situtation.

"He wanted a date, of course," Chie explained. That would've been a very unsafe date. Chie and Yu might have to tag along if she ever did say yes to this guy, which thankfully she didn't… and probably won't…

"He did?" Yukiko stared in surprise and confusion.

"Yeah. And it was totally creepy how he kept calling you Yuki and stuff…"

"H-He did that?"

"A-Anyways, let's go inside before the bell rings." With that, the three made their way inside into their classroom where they found Yosuke waiting for them. The class seemed excited about a particular topic, namely the Midnight Channel. Great, just the thing Yu wanted to forget.

**_Class 2-2_**

"Dude… did you see the Midnight Channel yesterday?"

"Yeah! Dude, My soul-mate's a chick. And she was wearing our school uniform!"

"Dude, I can't wait to find out who she is."

"Same here!"

Yosuke approached the three whilst looking at Yukiko.

"So, I heard you turned down another lovelorn fool. Got turned down the same way last year."

"Huh?" Yukiko looked up confused, "I did?"

"Oh? So that means you want to go out with me?"

"I'd rather not," Yukiko bluntly replied with the straightest face possible.

"…'cuz I suck," Yosuke admitted defeat, "Well, it doesn't matter anyways 'cuz I got this thing goin'!"

"Ohhh… yeah, you got that thing with Saki-senpai!" Chie remembered.

"But, I don't know; she hasn't texted back in a couple days. I wonder what's up." Yosuke hammered away at the keypad on this phone, sending yet another text to the third year. It had gotten to the point in their relationship where they did text each other, with Saki responding almost right away. It was a day in, day out thing between the two, keeping each other's spirits up at work and at home. Yosuke waited for a while for the text to come back, only failing again. Sirens blared in the distance, drawing the attention all students.

"Another accident?" Yu pondered, gazing out the rainy window.

"_Attention students," _the intercom rudely interrupted Yosuke's train of thought. The entire class fell into silence as they glanced at the speaker at the front of the classroom. They all had noticed that King Moron had not made his oh so gracious appearance. _"There has been a call for an emergency assembly. Please make your way to the auditorium in an orderly manner. Attention students…"_

"I wonder what happened…" one student whispered.

"Must be serious if none of the teachers showed up."

"Not another assembly…"

"I LOVE BISCUITS!"

"SHUT HELL UP, KOTAROU!"

The mass exodus of students exited the classrooms and filled the tiny hallway. This made Tokyo Station look beyond deserted at rush hour. Chatter spread immensely throughout the crowd, ranging from the typical gossip, to curiosity of the event, to a girl suddenly running in the other direction to the school's entrance. Said girl's best friend noticed her change in direction.

"Yukiko! Where're you going?!" Chie yelled. The girl in red looked back while running, gripping on to her phone for dear life.

"My mother needs a lot of help at the inn right now. I'll be back at noon!"

_Yasogami High School Gym_

'I feel like goddamn cattle in a cage…' Yu grumbled to himself. He _hated_ tight spaces to the point where one could call him claustrophobic, not that he actively showed it. He took a glance around the room and noticed one person to be missing, namely the girl in a red sweater. Chie took note of Yu's glancing head, presumably looking for the missing girl of the group.

"Yah looking for Yukiko?" she asked. Yu just simply nodded, "She had to help out at the inn. I guess they're pretty crazy this time of year, haha!" Yu was understandably confused. Luckily, Chie read his face and decided to save him the trouble of thinking too hard.

"If you're wondering, Yukiko's family runs a world-class inn just west of town higher up Mt. Yasogami. This town's famous for it."

"Ah, I see."

"But with all of the stuff that's been happening, who knew it would get this busy."

"Ah…"

"You _really_ don't care about anything, don't you…?" Chie deadpanned. Yu had no response to that. He really didn't care, unless it somehow pertained to him. Yu turned to Yosuke, who placed himself on his other side, still fiddling with his phone waiting for a text that never came back.

"C'mon… why won't you answer alreadyyyy?" Little did he know, his question was about to be answered.

"Alright, listen up!" King Moron blasted over the excited chatter of the bumbling student body, "the Principal here has an important announcement. Make so much a _peep_ and you'll be on my rotten little shit list!" All eyes turned to the stage where they saw several teachers with grim expressions, especially one teacher who was about ready to burst into tears. The room suddenly quieted to near silence as they felt the atmosphere grow rather heavy and bleak. The Principal walked up to the podium and took a deep breath. This rattled breath, along with his very traditional attire and long, balding, white hair revealed his age and wisdom. He hesitated for a bit, but decided to press on hoping it was the best decision he could make.

"My fellow students," he began in a rather grave tone, "it is with great sadness that I announce the passing of one of our own." Gasps filled the crowd as they all looked in every direction, hoping to find the one missing person. Yosuke was still fumbling about his phone, hoping that what he was hearing was not pertaining to him…

"Saki Konishi of Class 3-B was found deceased this morning. The coroner's office estimated her time of death at approximately 1:00 AM. I have spoken with the staff and confirmed that bullying was not involved. Please do your best to corporate with the police as they will be arriving later on this morning. Our counselors will be available to you later on today after we have assessed the situation. To those who may be affected by this tragedy, you all have my and the staff's condolences. Thank you and that is all." He backed away from the stage and quickly made his exit. For the next five seconds, no one said a word. No one laughed, no one cried, no one yelled; it was dead silent. It wasn't until one headphone wearing boy dropped his phone, showing an endless, one-sided conversation to the person of interest. He bent down to pick up his phone, his body shaking from the shock. He was still wide-eyed from the news, and had no courage to speak.

It wasn't until one girl decided her emotional dam was just about finished. She turned to her friend and cried loudly into her chest, tears streaming down like a raging river on a rainy day. At this moment, the entire room erupted, ranging from anger, to tears, to plain chaos as the teachers tried to quell the students. Yosuke was trying to fight back the onset of tears, made worse by the people around him actually crying. Yu and Chie looked back at the poor boy, and looked on as he ran out.

* * *

**-_Rainy – 12:30 PM-_**

**_Club Room Connector_**

To him, the one they called Saki Konishi was more than just a senior; she was a co-worker, and more importantly, a friend that he trusted and cared for the most. To see her existence ripped clean from him in one fellow swoop broke whatever spirit he had left since moving here. He stood there, leaning against the piling that held the catwalk over his head, for the rest of the morning trying to clear his head of the sea of depression he currently drowned in.

His thoughts began to swim. He remembered the previous night watching the Midnight Channel, seeing a girl that looked very similar to Saki, no, exactly like her! He knew based on the wonderful adventure they had yesterday that whoever ended up in there would most likely die. He saw it firsthand that night.

-_Flashback to the Previous Night – Rainy – 12:00AM-_

_Yosuke's Room_

"Yawn… man that world took a lot out of me. I'm ready to go to bed. I hope that Midnight Channel thing doesn't come on and…" The large TV in his room flickered to life, a strange, glowing yellow hue. On screen, a very clear image appeared of a girl with long, brown hair was on her knees petrified at the monstrous shadow-figure she was facing. A pack of shadows attacked her, phasing in and out of her body, drinking every last bit of soul and will power she had left. The TV flickered off after a minute. To say Yosuke was shocked was an understatement.

"…what in the hell was that?" was all he could croak as he fell asleep on his bed, hoping it was all a bad dream.

-_End Flashback-_

He would still continue to think it was all a bad dream, but after seeing the TV World firsthand and what it could do to a person, there was no reason to deny it. It so happened that the two people he was looking for came to his side. The first person to speak was, unsurprisingly, Chie.

"Hey… you okay?" she asked out of concern. Yosuke responded with a depressed grunt.

"I'm gonna take that as a noooo…"

"Look," Yosuke suddenly spoke up, startling both Yu and Chie, "to tell you the truth, I watched the Midnight Channel yesterday, and saw who I think was Saki being killed." Both of them gasped at the notion.

"You can't be serious!" Chie exclaimed.

"Does it look like I'm fucking crazy?!" Yosuke blew up, unable to hold back his anger any longer. Chie reeled back, with Yu catching her. "Look, we made our way into the TV World, so what if Saki-senpai and Ms. Yamano found a way in, too?!"

"So you're saying people die when shown on that thing?!" Chie exclaimed yet again. Yosuke promptly ignored her and continued his abhorrent tirade.

"We need to find out who's doing all this. People who get thrown there die when shown on TV. That's the assumption I'm going to make based on what I've seen last night and what I've heard today. I mean, they said that Saki-senpai's body was found the same way as Ms. Yamano. I can't stand by to let people end up like them!"

"Wait… you're thinking about going inside? AFTER ALL THAT YOU'VE SAID?!"

"Yeah. I can't sit by and let things end like this. I will not have anyone else come in harm's way, especially you." Chie felt what was like a blush flare up for a quick second, but quickly remembered that this was Yosuke and in no universe would he look to another girl other than Saki Konishi.

'Thanks for your kind thoughts, Hanamura-san…' Yu dryly thought at the exclusion of his name. 'Of course, he's not thinking remotely straight at this point, so I'll let this side…'

"Anyways, I need you both at Junes later today."

"Yosuke… you wouldn't…" Chie trailed off.

* * *

**-_Rainy – 3:40 PM-_**

**_The Streets of Inaba_**

Two students found themselves running in the rain towards the local Junes where they were going to intercept the mourning boy in headphones. They figured he left school early due to the emotional stress he was experiencing at the time and couldn't return to class at that state. They both knew what he was trying to do, and wanted to stop him from doing something that could put him in the same situation as Saki Konishi.

"This is not going to end well…" Yu mused while he ran, kicking water up at the inevitably slower Chie, who was drinking said water.

"Damn it, Narukami-san! Could you slow down?! I'm literally drinking the water you kick up!"

"Then keep up! At this rate, Hanamura-san is going on a suicide mission!" Chie didn't even have to respond to understand the gravity of the situation. Here was an emotionally unstable Yosuke Hanamura, who may or may not choose to end his life on a suicide mission into the TV World. She understood that Saki was the only thing he had to live for in this town, and to see her torn away from him in a blink of an eye frightened her. They may have fought and bickered in the past 6 months they had known each other, but that in truth brought them closer together (although she did want to get him back for breaking her limited edition DVD). She had begun to care for him slightly as a person as a result, even though he was annoying and an ass most of the time. She couldn't let that go.

The torrent of rain picked up as they sprinted across the flood plains…

**-_4:00 PM-_**

**_Electronics Department, Junes, Inc._**

What Yu and Chie had expected was for no one to be there; instead, they found their target waiting for them with his arms folded. He was armed with rope, a pair of monkey wrenches, and a golf club. He still wore the stern, depressed face he held this morning when the principal dropped the bomb. He glared at the TV, and then turned his head towards the two.

"Great. You guys came. Let' go an–"

"We came to stop you, idiot!" Chie roared.

"I'm being serious here. What, are you going to tell me to leave it to the police? They haven't even found a lead on the Yamano case before this shit happened. And what pisses me off the most, was that Saki-senpai was just a bystander of it all and had to be offed in the most gruesome way possible. How can I _not_ do this?!"

"Yosuke, I understand, but this is just way too dangerous!"

"I know it's dangerous, and I might end up not coming back, but I just can't leave this alone! Not like this… "

"So you're gonna waltz in there and hope that everything'll be okay? You realize that we had to find a giant, stupid _teddy bear_ for a way out."

"I know… but we were able to come back once, right? If we go in from the same location, maybe we'll meet that him again."

"_Maybe_ isn't good enough!"

"Then what do you expect me to do? Leave it to the useless police force and hope that something comes of it 20 years later as the case goes cold?"

"~Ahem~" Yu cleared his throat, grabbing the two's attention. He did not like the direction it was going in, so he found it necessary to jump in, regardless if it meant that he had to put his own life at risk. At this rate, Yu felt that there was no way they were going to get Yosuke to stop. "I understand your predicament, Hanamura-san, and I do feel bad, but please reconsider your options before jumping head-first into something you can't get out of."

"Not you, too… can you leave it like this?" Yosuke replied in a semi-audible moan whilst looking up at the silver-haired teen. There were many possible outcomes of this: go into the TV world and die fighting an unknown monster; go into the TV world, find something of value fight the monster for it, not find a way out, and die; go into the TV World, find the bear, find something of value, fight monsters, and make it back with Yosuke still sulking. Yu had no choice in the matter since all lead to a relatively bad end. Then again, he would have a chance to use this power he held in his hands. He let out a gruff sigh. It was definitely not a safe option, but there was nothing they could do about it.

"Hanamura-san… I know you're probably at the point beyond convincing, so I'm going along with you."

"Wait, really?!" Yosuke and Chie yelped. Yu needed a viable excuse for deciding to go.

"I'm worried about Satonaka-san."

"…I don't get it…" Chie replied puzzled. Yu had to make up a further explanation, just to dig himself a deeper hole than he dug just now.

"There's no telling what will happen over there, so I'd rather you stay safe over here while I let Hanamura-san vent his anger and I'll protect him from getting himself killed."

"We also need someone to pull us out if we're in trouble. Here, Chie," Yosuke handed over the rope while handing one end of the rope to Yu, who tied it around his waist, "hold onto this and don't let go. When we tug, that's the signal to pull us out. Got it?"

"C-C-C'mon guys! This is crazy!"

"I already have a plan. You never go into something without a plan. Here, Narukami-san." He handed Yu a golf club (presumably one of the store's display models) and a handful of medicine (which he probably paid for earlier). "I'd figure we wouldn't want to go in empty handed, so I got these for you." He was surprisingly prepared considering his earlier outburst…

"Alright, let's go. There's no use wasting time in here. Chie, don't let go of the rope." Yu and Yosuke stepped forward with the rope tied to their waist and phased through the large television, the ripples subsiding moments later. Chie still felt very hesitant about the idea.

"Hey… w-wait a sec-" She tugged on the rope for a bit and pulled hard to trace them back out, only to feel it snap at both ends. Realizing they had no way out, she sunk to the floor, unable to think of what to do next.

"Wha– …Damn it! I TOLD YOU! This was a bad idea…" Chie sunk even lower, dropping the broken rope to the floor, mourning the loss of her good friends.

**_TV World Landing Area_**

~SLAM~

"OWWW, GODDAMN IT!" Yosuke yelled as he picked himself up, "I'll never be used to breaking my ass."

"Uh-huh," Yu replied, completely focused on finding their target, and wondering why Yosuke seemed oddly chipper in the first place. They both looked around the area in which they landed. It was the same spot they landed the previous day.

"So I was right… This _is_ the same area we landed in yesterday! Looks like the TVs we enter from are connected from place to place."

"Uh-huh," Yu replied nonchalantly while putting on his glasses. He felt he needed to if he wanted to get through the fog.

"Y-You guys!" a high-pitched voice screamed out from behind them, "Why'd you come back?!" It was the bear from before. So far, Yosuke was right. The bear, however, looked less than pleased to see the two.

"Ooooh, I get it! You guys are the one behind this!" Yosuke heeded no attention to the bear's accusations.

"Oh, hey! It's the bear from yesterday!" He mentally ran through the list of conversation points he over looked in the last 30 seconds…

"Wait. What did you say?!"

"Bodies have been appearing in this world lately, and you guys are able to enter from the outside on your own, so clearly you guys are the ones dumping the bodies in here! COME CLEAN ALREADY!" Yu silently shook his head in disproval.

"Uh, no." Yu coldly responded. Yosuke wasn't having any of it.

"What're you talking about, 'throwing people in'?! If someone was thrown in here and they couldn't get out, they might die! Who would do such a —" It was at this point where Yosuke had an epiphany, something that doesn't happen to often for him. In fact, this might be the first time he had ever felt this experience.

"Wait a sec… all this talk about throwing people in here… Did someone throw Saki-senpai and Ms. Yamano in here?!" He was back to his angst-driven rage when they met in Junes. Speaking of Junes, Yu was wondering what Chie was doing right now…

"What do you think?" Yosuke directed the question towards Yu. Of course, Yu was busy thinking about the mental state of the headphone-wearing boy at the moment…

"…Come again?"

"I swear I'm gonna worry about your attention span…"

'Oh, really…'

"Anyways, someone's been throwing people in here. You think that's it, dude?" Yu thought about it for a moment, and came up with the same conclusion.

'Based on what we saw yesterday, these shadows can outright kill people. People can't enter inside the TV by themselves, like when Yosuke was waiting around for us to show up. When people die here, they end up in a weird position in the real world…' "It's safe to say that I also think what you're thinking. Someone is throwing people in here."

"Yeah… I agree. Let's assume he's telling the truth. Could it be that someone's throwing people in here, intending to kill them? If that's the case…" Yu had to think again based on Yosuke's deduction (baseless or not).

"Well that's a possibility. It could also be an accident, although I wouldn't count on the same accident happening twice," Yu deduced. The bear was not happy being ignored.

"What're you guys mumbling about? Why'd you come here, anyways?! It's a one-way door! You can't get out once you're in! Remember? How I had to let you guys out?" Yosuke, switching to his confident state, had his answer already lined up.

"Yeah, whatever; we don't need your help this time. We have this lifeline any—" Of course, Yosuke tugged on the rope and found that the other end was disconnected from Yu's. And as quick as he gave his answer, his face paled a deathly white. Yu shook his head again out of disappointment. "Whaaaat?!" Yosuke screamed at the top of his lungs.

'How did I know this was going to happen…' Yu shook his head.

"Listen Bear, Y-You better let us out of here once we're done investigating!" Yosuke demanded. Yet, the bear would not deter himself from giving the headphone wearing asshat the upper hand.

"Grrrrr! I'm the one who wants to investigate! I've lived here for a long time. But it's never been noisy like this till now. Do you have proof?! Prove to me you're not throwing people in here!" Both Yu and Yosuke's sweat dropped from their foreheads. They were getting to the point of exasperation.

"Uh, no." Yu replied yet again.

"See! So it _is_ you guys!"

"For the last time, it's not us, so we've got nothing to prove to you!" Yosuke yelled at the poor bear, "Hey, you better answer our questions. This isn't like last time, when we came here by accident. We're dead serious! Listen up, 'cause people have died in our world… Every time this fog appears, a dead body shows up with it. It has to be related to this place somehow! If you know something, tell us!" This almost sounded like he was pleading. Yosuke switched to his angst-ridden self again. Suddenly, the bear's mood switched, this time to one of curiosity.

"A dead body? Whenever the fog appears…? I know that if it's foggy on your side, the fog lifts here. It's really dangerous when the fog lifts. That's when the Shadows get violent. Aaaah… I get it…"

"Huh? If you get it, then explain it to us, dammit! If it's foggy on our side, it isn't in here…? Shadows get violent…?"

'What should have been clear isn't making sense to me either…' Yu thought, rescinding his earlier deduction.

"That's why I said to hurry back! It's dangerous when that happens! Okay, no more questions. I know you guys did it! You better stop right now!"

'This bear just does not _get it_,' Yu sighed.

"I've told you and told you, we're not the ones doing it! I've about had it with you… Why the hell won't you listen to what we're saying?!" The bear retreated at the sight of Yosuke's boiling rage. It was almost too much for him to handle.

"I-I'm just saying… you might be the culprits. I'm just making sure…"

"How much insurance does the bear need? Man, this bear's driving me nuts… What is this place, anyways? It looks like a TV studio. Is something being filmed here?" Yosuke had yet another epiphany…

"H-Hey, don't tell me… Is that weird show being filmed here?!" This time the bear was confused.

"Weird show? Filmed? What does that mean?" the bear questioned once again. Yosuke understood this time that the bear was truly not of the human world. He seemed to have simmered down a bit.

"Uh… I'm asking if someone's been filming the people that get thrown in here?"

"I don't get it… This world has always been like this. No one has ever done that filming thing here."

"Always been like this?" Yu finally spoke up.

"Only me and Shadows are here! I told you before!" The bear replied, growing agitated again. Yosuke's patience was growing very thin.

"Ugh… We don't know what these Shadow things are! Or what you are either, for that matter! You keep telling us to prove our innocence, but you're the most suspicious thing here! Maybe you're the real culprit! And what's with that stupid costume?! I'd say it's time you showed your face!" Yosuke, fed up with the bear, tackled him and pulled his head right off. Much to the surprise, shock, and awe of the two humans, there was absolutely nothing in the body of the blue bear.

"W-What the hell?" Yosuke screamed while crawling backwards towards Yu, "I-It's empty inside..."

'My hero…' Yu inwardly sighed. He decided he felt bad for the bear. He walked over to the now eyeless head and picked it up. Walking over towards the bear, he popped his head right back into place. The bear straightened his head out, and turned towards him, sporting a noticeably nicer and more welcoming demeanor. Yosuke watched it all with his jaw dropped.

"Dude… does anything rattle you?" he asked out of shock. Yu looked back, confused as ever.

"Thanks, nice guy. But, me? The culprit? I wouldn't do such a thing! I just live here. I just want to live here in bear-tiful peace and quiet…" Yosuke groaned at what just came out of the bear's mouth.

"…Did you have to but its head back on?"

"Huh?" Yu looked back, still puzzled. The bear seemed to resign to the fact that those two were in fact not the body dumpers he was looking for.

"Okay. I'll believe that you guys aren't the culprits. But I want you to find the real guy who did all this. You have to stop him. Promise me, or else… I'm not gonna let you guys outta here."

'Aaaah, good 'ol blackmail' Yu mentally sighed. He wondered why he ever did but the head back on.

"Y-You little…" Yosuke growled. The bear… got desperate…

"This can't keep going on! My home here will be a complete mess! And then… and then I… Waaah…" And sure enough, the bear broke out into tears. His crying and moaning could be heard for miles on end, enough for echoes to reverberate back onto the stage.

"W-What're you crying for all of a sudden? Geez, this thing's really weirding me out…" Yosuke complained. He turned to Yu for help. "Hey, what should we do?"

Thinking back to the words of Igor in the Velvet Room of Hallucinations, Yu did remember the old geezer did mentioning he would run into some misfortune at his destination, which would probably be here, and some great mystery would be imposed upon him, or some weird phrasing of the idea. All that mattered was he was thrown right into the center of chaos and it was apparently up to him to fix it. If the world's future rested upon his success, he would give it his all. Of course, he couldn't tell them all that, not with the way they laughed at him for his explanation of the TV-sucking episode.

"I think we should help him," Yu decided.

"Wait, really?!" Yosuke asked, completely shocked that Yu would go along with this. He thought that Yu would seem the type to drop any chance of helping someone.

"Why not? I feel bad for the little guy. We probably can't get out of here anyways, so we don't really have a choice. Also, didn't you want to go because you wanted to find out who committed the murders?" Yu uncharacteristically explained.

"You… have a point. But seriously, dude, you're one really nice guy."

"When have I ever said I wasn't?"

"You don't say anything, period unless you have to! Anyways, Bear, we haven't introduced ourselves. My name is Yosuke Hanamura," he introduced himself. He similarly looked over to Yu, who took it as the cue to make his introduction.

"And my name is Yu Narukami."

"And I'm Teddie." Yet again, sweat dropped from the two human's eyebrows.

"…Figures…" Yu groaned.

"But how are we supposed to find the culprit anyways; we don't even know where to start," Yosuke inquired.

"I may not know who threw them in, but I do know where the last person got dumped," Teddie replied.

"Did the person look like this?" Yosuke flipped out his cell phone and, unsurprisingly, the wallpaper was that of Saki Konishi.

"Uh huh."

"Lead the way then!"

"Oh, but before we go, put these on," Teddie suggested to Yosuke. He held out a pair of light-orange glasses with some multicolor stickers on the side, much like what Yu was wearing. It was even a different style. Yosuke took them and eyed them for a second, examining every centimeter of the frame, looking for any defects. He was the son of a department store owner, after all.

"You get away this time, Bear. But, what do these things do anyways?" Yosuke said as he put them on. Much like what Yu experienced, the difference was like night and day; the fog had all but disappeared. "Huh, I guess too much TV _is _bad for your eyes."

"Anyways, we have to get moving before we waste too much time," Yu said, facing the direction of the path they took yesterday, and antsy to get finish what they need to do and return.

"Oh, uh, Narukami-san… my nose says it's that way," Teddie giggled as he walked in another direction towards another elevated walkway.

**_Yasoinaba Shopping District…?_**

They walked for around 10 minutes before coming to a halt; the walkway converted into a street with buildings surrounding it. The sky above them was a menacing red and black, and the streets were unusually empty. None of the buildings were lit, only the few street lights led the way forward. Yu and Yosuke recognized this place immediately: the Inaba Shopping District.

"Hey, this kinda looks like the shopping district," Yosuke mused. He looked further up the path of the main street and found a single light shining through a particular building. Yosuke recognized this as the alcohol shop at the northern end of the shopping district. As expected, he took off towards the decrepit building with Yu and Teddie trailing behind.

"Hey, look! It's Saki-senpai's place!" he yelled as they got nearer to the shop. When they were within 10 meters of the shop, odd voices began to fill the already heavy air… in rapid succession…

"_I wish Junes would go under…"_

"_It's all because of that store…"_

"W-What the shi—" Yosuke yelped, perplexed at the snide comments made about his family's store. The barrage of comments continued still.

"_Oh, I heard that Konishi-san's daughter is working there. Oh my… How could she, with her family's business suffering like it is? I heard their sales have gone downhill because of Junes."_

"Who the hell is saying this shit?!"

"_That poor father… to have his own daughter working for the enemy. What a troublesome child…"_

"That's it…" Yosuke growled before charging into the liquor store. He frantically searched around the liquor store for the person who was saying all those unpleasant lines. Instead of a person, however, what he got was something else entirely.

"_Saki, how many times do I have to tell you?!"_

"I-Is that Saki-senpai's… dad? Why can I hear him, but can't see him?!"

"_You know what the neighbors say about you, right?! Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You're the eldest daughter of a family who's owned this store for generations! Is it the money? Or did you meet some guy there? Just tell me why you have to work _there_, of all places!" _Yosuke distracted himself from the supposed lecture that was going on and looked to his feet when he noticed he was stepping on something. It was something so familiar it caused him to finally show fear.

"Wait… that's the ticket I gave her. Why would she tear it up?" Unfortunately for him, he finally got his answer, the answer he most never wanted to hear.

"_I never got a chance to tell Hana-chan…"_

"S-Saki-senpai? Is that you? Saki! Where are you?! SAKI! …wait, tell me what?"

"_...that he was a real pain in the ass!"_ Yu actually cringed for a good second. That was probably one of the harshest lines to come from any woman, and he'd thought he'd seen the worst of them.

"_I was nice to him just because he was the store manager's son, that's all. But he takes it completely the wrong way and thinks I like him and stuff... what a dweeb." _The emotional wounds dealt on Yosuke were only amplified.

"P-Pain in the ass?"

"_Who cares about Junes, anyway? Because of that store, our business is ruined, my parents hate me, the neighbors talk behind my back… I wish everything would just fucking die!" _Yosuke was just about on breaking point with himself. He started to crouch into a fetal position, releasing all the grief, pain, suffering, and humiliation of the past six months. And still he refused to believe the voice that was of Saki Konishi.

"I-It's a lie. This can't be. Senpai's not like that!"

"_**It's ~sniff~ so sad... I feel so sorry for myself. Boo hoo..." **_a highly-distorted voice rang out from the shadows. This voice in particular scared all three people in the area as it sounded awfully familiar, like there was a demonic Yosuke. All three looked in the direction of the voice.

"_**Actually, I'm the one who thinks everything's a pain in the ass." **_The figure that owned the distorted voice came into full view, to the supreme shock of the three. Here, in looks, accessories, and mannerisms stood what seemed to be a very, very immaculate copy of Yosuke Hanamura. The very thing that sets it apart from the real one, bar the already distorted voice, was the golden eyes that bore into one's soul for eternity.

"T-T-T-Two Yosukes?!" Teddie yelled, waving his short limbs in fright. Yosuke was in the literal state of panic.

"Who are you?!" he jabbed, "I wouldn't think anything like that!"

"_**Hahaha!"**_ the other Yosuke cackled, _**"How long are you going to keep deluding yourself? Screw the shopping district, and Junes too! You're sick of everything, especially living out in the goddamn sticks!"**_

"What're you saying?! That's not true, I—"

"_**You put on a good show of being carefree and happy-go-lucky 'cause you're so terrified of being alone. The more the merrier, right? You've gotta be surrounded by people to block out the pain of isolation. And what's this about checking out this world for Saki-senpai's sake? Hah! I know the real reason you came snooping..."**_

"S-Stop it!" Yosuke heaved, sounding a lot agitated than when the doppelganger started spouting vocal cannonballs.

"_**Hahaha! Why so panicked? I thought I was just spouting bullshit! Or maybe… I DO know everything you're thinking! Why's that? Because I **_**am**_** you! You just came because you thought it sounded like a good time! What else is there to do out in this backwoods, shithole town? A world inside the TV—now that's exciting! You didn't have a single other reason for coming here, did you?!"**_

"That's not true… stop… stop it…"

'This is getting bad…' Yu mentally braced himself, drawing out his golf club and holding it in a katana position. A voice appeared in his head, as well.

'_Ready when you are, Yu-sama.'_

'Ah, Izanagi. Let's get ready to go to work.'

"_**You're just trying to act like a big shot. If all went well, hey, maybe you could even be a hero! And that Senpai you were so sweet on? Her death was the perfect excuse!"**_

"That's… not true! What the hell are you?! Who the fuck are you?!"

"_**~chuckle~ I already told ya. I'm a Shadow, of your true inner self! I'm your Shadow! There's nothing I don't know about you!"**_

"Fuck that! I don't know you! You can't be me, you fucking son of a bitch!" At the moment this scream of defiance hit the shadow, its body began glowing a dark red and black, almost like it was powered up by the mere denial of its existence. The shadow started smirking, feeling the surge of power coursing through its veins.

"_**Hahahahahaha! That's right, say it again!" **_And Yosuke, against his better judgment (well, no _proper_ judgment currently existed with his mental state as of current),

"You're not me! You're nothing like me!" The surge of dark power continued to expand and accelerate around it, eventually engulfing the shadow in the red-black mist.

"_**Ha! That's right. I am ME now! I AIN'T YOU AT ALL!" **_it cackled one last time before clearing the mist to reveal a very abnormal, abhorrent creature.

This creature looked like a gigantic frog, with black stripes running along its sides and down its limbs. Black spots also covered its body and its head, with the eyes shining a deep yellow. On its head was a v-shaped crown, shining in the dark light. Attached to the back of the frog stood a whimsical upper-half of a humanoid body. The head, face, and everything in it seemed like a black void, except two stars where the eyes should be. It wore a white upper garment and a long, red scarf. This time, the distorted voice boomed over what now looked like a torn down studio with TVs mounted on the support beams. This made it look like an arena for a showdown, or a boss fight.

"_**I am a Shadow, of your true inner self. I'll crush anything that bores me, starting with YOU!" **_It jumped and made a dive towards the head-clutching Yosuke, possibly ending his almost miserable life…

Yu was one step ahead of the game, also diving and tackling Yosuke while he held his palm out. This summoned a blue card with the drawing of the Fool Arcana, found in most Tarot decks. He crushed the spinning card with his clenched fist with energy and power erupting from behind.

"Izanagi!" Out came Izanagi, with swords blazing, flying towards the demonic frog. "Cleave it!" With two slashes, it made several gashes on its body, before retreating.

Unfortunately, the frog was semi-prepared for the attack and raised its giant paw, cocked it back, and released it all in a split second on the sword-equipped warrior. This sent him flying back far, hitting one of the televisions and falling to the floor. This didn't slow Izanagi down, as it charged the frog.

The frog had another trick up its sleeve, though; it decided it would raise both of its paws up and take in a lot of air. It then crashed down, releasing its breath, and blowing the warrior away. This also blew away Yu from Yosuke, sending him flying a few meters back. Teddie, who was watching the battle from the sidelines, called out to Yu.

"Hey, nice guy! Don't let it blow wind at you! It's beary bad!"

"Thanks for that timely information, bear!" Yu yelled back, recovering from the sudden blow. Yosuke, now free, decided he would confront the frog himself.

"There is no way in hell that you're me!"

"_**You're still denying me aren't you? How much will it take to show you that no one truly gives a damn. Everyone just barely tolerates you, yet you still feel like you're on top of the world!"**_

"SHUT THE HELL UP! YOU ARE NOTHING LIKE ME!" Yosuke screamed as he ran forward with his wrench, only to get backhanded severely and thrown to a corner, landing next to Teddie. He let out a grunt on impact.

"But that thing comes from somewhere inside, Yosuke-san." Teddie said, looking down at the fallen Yosuke. Yu decided it was time to put the gold club into action. He ran forward, holding the golf club with both hands, and swinging the club upwards like a golf stroke. This did a good deal of damage to the shadow as it screamed out in pain.

"_**You don't get it at all! No one really wants you around; they just use you and your connections to try to get what they want. You led yourself to believe that you were meant to be popular and surrounding by people, but where did that end you up? Right here!"**_ The TVs up on top flickered clear and showed Yosuke's coworkers at Junes. They were idly chatting, presumably without the presence of Yosuke.

"_~giggle~ Let's go ask Hana-chan for help. I'm sure he'll do it!"_

"_Yeah, what a loser."_

"_Or we can just get Hana-chan to do everything for us. I'm sure he wouldn't mind. HAHAHA!"_

"_**This is what everyone thinks of you: just a convenience and a tool. They don't care about you at all, they just use you to get what you want!"**_

"SHUT UP! Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" Black shadowy clouds of mist begin to seep out of the TVs and from the floor, sending Teddie into panic.

"Oh crap! It's beginning to attract the other shadows! If we don't do something quick, things are gonna get real grizzly in here!" Teddie yelled towards Yu.

"C'mon, Izanagi!" Yu bellowed. Izanagi worked on the upper half, slicing away while Yu was whacking the frog on the lower body.

'Shit, what will it take him to realize that what the shadow says is true? Even I notice it.' "Izanagi!" Yu roared, driving his fists into… Yosuke. This sent Yosuke flying sideways. At the same time, Izanagi drove a powerful punch into the frog, sending it flying backwards.

"Duuuuuude!" Yosuke winced at the impact of the punch.

"Oops… wrong guy…"

"Really, dude?"

"You liked her, right?" Yu firmly asked.

"Huh?"

"I mean Saki-senpai; you liked her, right? Isn't that proof enough?" It took a few seconds for the two questions to sink in. Yosuke finally realized that this wasn't all that bad. In fact, he needed to hear this, to ensure himself that although he thought everything was a pain in the ass, there was good in the world and that not everything was a bore.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." He stood up and made his way towards the frog. "I guess if this is me, then all of this is part of me." The frog stopped its return assault for a moment. Teddie started to notice the Shadow start to physically flicker.

"It's starting to weaken! Now's your chance!"

"_**YOU ALL ARE SO FUCKING ANNOYING!"**_

"You mean we weren't doing damage before?! Izanagi! Zio!" A large thunderbolt ripped from the space above, hitting the frog and obliterating it into black smoke. Once it cleared, it revealed the fallen doppelganger of Yosuke Hanamura, with golden eyes. Yosuke approached the body and stared it down.

"Yeah, deep down I knew everything was a pain in the ass, but I didn't want to admit it; I just pretended everything was cool. I guess it wouldn't help me if I just kept lying to myself. In the end it all boils down to this, huh. You're me, and I'm you; that's all that matters in the end, doesn't it…" The shadow smiled and faded to a light blue, morphing into a new figure.

This figure was briefly seen before it vanished. From what Yu could tell, it was a bipedal humanoid with a pair of antennae on its head, the ends being eyes. It had large web hands and was wearing the same outfit as its monster-shadow form. It quickly disappeared into a single blue card, which showed a pair of eyes, a pair of hands, and a flame in the middle: the arcana of the Magician. Yosuke reached out his hands and grabbed the card, amazed by its surrealism and beauty.

"Whoa, what is this?"

"That, is a persona." Yu calmly replied, with a self-satisfied smile on his face. It was good to see the good in a person, especially when they had their darkest secrets exposed to an outside party. He felt good in assisting in finding the path to one's happiness. He could only smile at the thought. Maybe this was something he was meant to do, and he could use this power to do it.

"Haha, she dumped you, huh!" Teddie gleefully shouted. Yosuke was less than pleased.

"Shut up, Bear!"

"Anyways, we gotta get out of here before any more of those giant shadow things come back," Yu suggested.

"Sensei's right! Let's all head back to the entrance!"

"Dude, Sensei? Seriously?" Yosuke complained as he dragged himself back to the entrance. It seemed that this ordeal had taken a lot out of him…

_TV World Landing Area_

They soon reached the platform through which they came, Yosuke reduced to mere heaving. There were still unanswered questions, and even more unanswered questions based on what they had just found out. Despite his weariness, Yosuke still pressed for answers, and tried to rationalize the very situation they were in.

"Hey, Teddie. Could Saki-senpai have been attacked by her other self here? Like how it just happened to me?" Teddie thought for a moment, and arrived at the same conclusion.

"I think so. The shadows here were originally born from humans. Sometimes the fog clears. Then they all go berserk… And you saw what happens next. A strong-willed shadow draws others to it. And the big mass of shadows kills the host."

"So that's why people die when it gets foggy in our world…" Yu mused. He figured if he was going to be part of this, he might as well start speaking up.

"So that Shopping District, and the weird room we saw before… Did they exist because the ones who died entered this world, and it became their reality? I guess what I'm trying to ask is: Did those places form because of the people who entered this world?" Yosuke asked Teddie, thinking he had most of it figured out. Teddie was at a loss this time, and only could draw up conclusions of what he knew, which surprisingly wasn't much.

"I don't know; it's never happened before, but that's probably where they were when the shadows attack them."

"This world killed them?" Yu sharply asked, with a bit more force than his usual stoic self. Teddie, again, rationalized everything he knew, which in this case turned into a rant.

"The fog does lift here sometimes. The shadows get really violent then. I always get so scared. I have to hide when it happens! I sensed people here twice before. But both of them disappeared after the fog li—"

"So let's get this straight —" Yosuke interrupted, trying to confirm everything, "Senpai and that Yamano lady were thrown in here, and since they couldn't get out, they wandered around. After a while, that shadow thing came out of them. The fog cleared, it went berserk, and it ended up killing them… Does that sound right? So if I'd been here until the fog cleared, I woulda been in much deeper trouble?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure. You were lucky Sensei and me were here with you..."

"Dammit!" Yosuke cursed himself at the thought, "Saki-senpai and that announcer… They were stuck here all alone. No one could save them!"

"Hanamura-san…" both Yu and Teddie murmured.

"They disappeared when the fog lifted," Teddie remembered, "but they were safe before that. No shadows attacked them. They attacked us, though… Maybe they're keeping a close eye on us. They might see people who investigate this place as enemies. It'll be dangerous, but we might be able to fight them! We might save people!" For some reason or another, Yosuke's eyes lit up in excitement.

"Are you saying, if anyone else gets thrown in here, we can save them before they disappear?! Like how you guys just saved me?!

'You really are what your shadow says, aren't you…' Yu inwardly chuckled, "We won't know unless we try. Anyways, we need to catch the one who's throwing people in here and make him stop. I'm finally starting to understand what's going on."

"U-Um," Teddie stuttered, ruining any moment of gratification that had occurred, "Can I ask something too? If shadows are born from humans, what was Teddie born from?" Yosuke groaned, and Yu gave himself a face-palm.

"You don't even know where you came from?! How should we know?" Yosuke yelled at the troubled bear.

"I know some things, mostly about this world… But I don't know anything about myself. To be honest, I never thought about it until now…"

"Are you serious? No wonder we couldn't get a straight answer out of you."

'Figures…' Yu mentally slapped himself.

"Will you guys… come back here?" the bear pleaded. It was almost beyond adorable to Yu how much the bear depended on them, to the point where they couldn't leave. Then again, he did make a promise that they would find out whoever was throwing people in this forsaken world. He would give it his all and see through it until the end.

"Well," Yu replied, "we did make a promise."

"Y-You'll… keep your word?"

"Well, you're the one who said you weren't letting us out unless we do," Yosuke added in, reminding Teddie of the promise he made with them.

"Oh! Th-That's right! Okay, I'll let you out. But there's one thing."

"…What now?" they both moaned.

"I'll be waiting for you guys here. You need to come in from the same place every time so we can meet up."

"I knew it was the same entrance!" Yosuke exclaimed, feeling proud of himself for his usually awful intuition.

"You could come in from somewhere else," Teddie added, "but then you won't end up here. You might show up somewhere I couldn't get to you. Then you'd be doooomed… Got it?"

"What's with the super long 'o'…? Did you seriously have to put its head back on?"

"Well, pretty much…" Yu lightly chuckled. Yosuke felt they needed to move before it got too late and more shadows fill the area. They were already prime targets as of late.

"Alright, can you show us the way out?"

"Roger that! One exit comin' right up!"

"Cool, first we need to check to see if —" Of course, Teddie decided to get them out the quickest way possible. He stomped his foot on the ground and summoned the sets of old televisions they used to exit yesterday. Being the impatient bear he was, he decided to throw them out regardless what was happening on the other side, much to Yu and Yosuke's chagrin.

"Alright, now sqiiiiiiiiiish!" Teddie shoved the two into the TVs with all his might.

"Ow! Goddamn it! Fuck! Ow! Quit shoving so hard! WAAAAAAAH!" And yet, Yu Narukami took it all silently, with no expression.

* * *

**-_Cloudy – 6:30 PM-_**

**_Electronics Department, Junes, Inc._**

A familiar brown-haired girl was still found sulking in front of a giant television screen, holding onto a piece of broken rope that once held her friends. Her friends had not come out of the TV for over two hours and at this rate, she would have to go to the police and report them missing, causing yet another case for the hopeless Inaba Police Department to solve and a double-death case on who knows what telephone pole in the shopping district. Resigning to the inevitable, she was about to pick herself up when she noticed the screen of the TV start to ripple. Out jumped the two people she thought she'd lost forever.

"Ooof!" the two yelped as their bottoms hit the ground. Chie yelped as well, not only in relief but also in vehemence.

"Y-Y-You guys," Chie stuttered, "You guys came baaaaaaaack!" With this, she started to wail loudly in tears, drawing attention to the rest of the store. Yosuke looked notably confused, but Yu seemed to know what was going on, based on his slightly sullen expression.

"Huh? What wrong Chi- ~ooof~" Yosuke found himself back on the ground, with a mass tangle of rope lying on top of him.

'Here comes the tirade…' Yu mentally groaned.

"The nerve of you guys! You are such morons! I can't believe this! You guys suck!" Chie yelled, have crying and half raging.

"The rope got c-cut off— I had n-no idea what to d-do… I was so w-worried…" Chie caught herself for a brief moment with those last words. "I-I mean, scared stiff, dammit! I hate you both!"

"Hey. We're sorry! We're totally sorry! We're so sorry that we're sorry we're sorry, right, bro?" Yosuke rambled whilst scratching his head.

"…We are totally sorry," Yu stoically said with a sigh. Chie cleared her eyes of the falling tears, still sniffling quite a bit. It appeared she was ready to forgive them, only…

"Y-You owe me… t-ten beefsteaks!"

"Y-Yeah! We'll totally get you those ten steaks, right bro?" Yosuke asked in panic and looked to Yu again, this time not answering.

"He's getting me n-nikudon…" It seemed like Yu had no choice in the matter. After all, he did feel bad that he worried her to the point of tears.

"Eheheheh…" Yosuke trailed off.

"Then I forgive you." Chie promptly stood up and left without another word. The other two stood there for a bit, bathing in the awkward silence had formed.

"Maybe we did go a little too far…" Yosuke pondered.

"Yah think?!" Yu calmly retorted.

"Let's apologize to her again tomorrow. I'm completely wiped out. I'm gonna go home, soak in the shower for a while, and get some sleep. I think… I'm gonna sleep well tonight."

"…Let's head home…"

* * *

**_-Partly Cloudy – 6:45 PM-_**

**_Samegawa Flood Plain_**

The two walked for a bit until they had to split to go to their respective houses. He suddenly stopped, though, as if he had a sudden realization.

"We need to find the culprit… no matter what it takes! There's no way the police can do it… Who'd believe that the murderer kills people by throwing them into the TV?" Yu couldn't disagree with him, although his chances of not getting found out by his uncle with paranormal involvement were slim to none. Still, he couldn't let this case slide. If more people's lives are going to be taken, then they'll be the ones to stop it, police or not. This power that they both now have is the answer.

"Let's bring an end to this."

"Yeah… I agree. I feel like, as long as you're with me, I can find the culprit and crack this case. Well, let's do our best!"

"Correction: _We _can find the culprit and crack this case." Both men extended their hands and gave each other a solid handshake. For a split second, a crash could be heard and time stopped. His world darkened around him, and Yosuke completely froze, wearing the same face. There was a light from above, drawing Yu's eyes towards it. In this light was a spinning blue card not unlike his Persona card, and it was lowered itself to eye-level.

'What… what is this?'

'_I AM THOU. THOU ART I…'_

'This shit again…? Is that my voice?'

'_THOUS HAST ESTABLISHED A NEW BOND; IT BRINGS THEE CLOSER TO THE TRUTH…'_

'…Okaaaay…'

'_THOU SHALT BE BLESSED WITH CREATING PERSONAS OF THE MAGICIAN ARCANA.'_

'Magician… what?' The strange sensation passed before him and everything returned to its normal state. Yosuke looked at the silver-haired boy strangely.

"Hey dude, you okay there? You looked like you just saw a deer in headlights." Yu found himself staring blankly at Yosuke, wide-eyed and surprised.

"…Uh, yeah… I'll see you tomorrow, Hanamura-san." Yosuke looked at him disapprovingly.

"Dude, just call me Yosuke. We're in this together, yah know." Yu could only chuckle. With that, Yu continued his path down the flood plain, where the sunset peaked through the clouds, and colored the sky orange.

'I guess I could try to make friends here, now that this thing is over our heads. Hell, maybe I'll use it as leverage when I meet my parents next March.'

His mind was still mentally exhausted as he dragged himself along. He took some time to stare across the river. The feeling of his newfound power came to mind as he subconsciously held out his hands. Why was he given this power, and why only him? Yosuke had to earn it, but it came natural to him right away. Was he the person to help those in need? Questions kept forming in his mind.

Eventually, he came upon a gazebo where he saw another girl, this time with long, dark hair and dressed in a pink kimono. He tried to focus on the face and was able to recognize the owner. What was Yukiko Amagi doing out here? He was going to find out.

He approached the gazebo in a quiet fashion. It seemed she was staring out into the sunset as well, taking in the soft rays that radiated all over her perfect complexion, accented by the fact she was wearing a kimono and the cherry blossoms blowing in the soft wind. Yu stopped to gaze at her, soaking in the beauty that sat afar. Unfortunately for him, the girl's head turned directions, and took notice.

'Aw crap…'

"Hm?" Yukiko softly gasped. Yu knew it was too late to walk away, so he decided to talk to her for a bit. This time, contrary to her usual quiet self, Yukiko started the conversation, noting that Yu was staring at her dress.

"Oh… are you surprised to see me dressed this way?" Yukiko asked, "My parents sent me out on an errand."

"Aaah," Yu replied monotonously.

"Yeah. My family runs an Inn, which happens to be the biggest in town…"

"Oh." Yu knew about it before she brought it up by way of Chie. For Yukiko, conversations with individuals were not her strong suit, so she tried her best to keep it going, even if it meant changing topics. Of course, conversations were not of Yu's strong suits, either.

"Um… Are you getting used to your new town and school?"

'If you count crazy murders, half-demented shadow people, and teenage boys with mood-swings so frequent it made me question all sanity, then yes, I'm getting used to it all.' "Somewhat. Definitely different than in the city."

"…I'm glad to hear that. It must be difficult, moving to a place you know nothing about." Yu could only nod to that, although he had been here before, just didn't remember much of the trip, or that it even existed.

"I've never been out of Inaba, so I wouldn't know what it's like to transfer to a new school," she sadly ruminated. Yukiko was definitely running out of topics, lending the situation to be increasingly awkward. "Oh! Are you getting along with Chie? I mean, I always leave early, so… umm…"

"She's a good girl… pretty upbeat."

"I see… Chie's very supportive, you know. It's always her who gives me the little extra push I need. We had homeroom together last year too, and I still remember how we'd cut class sometimes."

'This straight-A student, who's the textbook definition of a shrinking violet, _cuts class_?!' Yukiko suddenly stood up, checking the phone in her purse. Of course, with the kimono fluttering in the soft wind, it gave everything a surreal atmosphere.

"Oh…" Yukiko quickly said, "I should get going. I need to make tomorrow's arrangements with our head chef. Our inn can't function without me right now. Um… I'll see you at school, then."

"I'll see you tomorrow," Yu replied with a soft smile. Yukiko bowed goodbye and made her way up the floodplain to the shopping district, disappearing out of sight. Yu got up himself, and dragged his weary self back to the house he currently called "home."

* * *

**A/N:** How's that for a shadow boss scene? I pretty much combined the game's version of the battle with the anime's version, and made it a lot more vulgar than both mediums to really show what Yosuke was going through. I'm pretty sure you know what shadow is next, so stay tuned! As always, read, love, review! :D


	4. Release the Panic

**A/N:** Hey, everyone! I'm back with a new [edited] chapter. If you haven't noticed, I have released an update blog on when I'm updating for all of my projects. The link can be found on my profile. Leave a comment there if you want specifics. Other than that, this one's gonna be a little bit slower than the previous two.

Shout-outs to Anime/Manga/Light Novel/Video Games in Chapter 3: None

Legend:

_**-Date – Weather – Time-**_

_**Location**_

"Speech"

'Thought'

_"Speech from the other line of the phone or electronics"_

_'Persona speech'_

_**"Shadow Speech"**_

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Release the Panic**

* * *

_**-7/25/2004 – Rainy – 3:35 PM-**_

_**Samegawa Flood Plain**_

A young girl with a soaked green top and jeans ran down the flood plain in the pouring rain. She was a cheerful, lively person and knew how to pick up the mood, even when it was heavy, mundane, and dreary… especially on rainy days like this. Of course, she left her umbrella at home, the same home per parents and grandparents lived in for generations. This didn't stop her from running around, completely soaked from the rain drops that doused her short, lopsided, pony-tailed head. She was bored and had pent up energy, only to be brought down when she came across another young girl in a pink dress, sitting at the steps to the river bank staring grimly out into the now swollen river.

"Hmm?" she squeaked to herself, taking interest in the depressed girl who sat a ways away.

Speaking of said girl, this girl had with her a puppy, one of brown and white colors. From what the happy girl could remember in her books (the ones filled with mostly pictures), this dog was supposed to be a large dog. The sad girl continued to ignore the presence of the happy girl, who decided to bound up to the sad girl.

"What's up?" the happy girl cheerfully greeted.

"Huh?" the sad girl yelped. Of course, this took the sad girl by surprise. Now that the happy girl paid attention to the sad girl, she noticed her long, twin-braided locks of black hair. She had on a pink dress and a red hair-band. She had some of the prettiest eyes the happy girl had ever laid her eyes on, although the gloominess betrayed its beauty. The happy girl slowly drew her eyes to the cute puppy in her hand. This puppy appeared to feel the opposite of the person currently holding it, judging by the brisk, paced pants and its ever-wagging tail.

"Awwww… he's so cute! Is that guy yours?" the cheerful girl cheerfully asked. The depressed girl's eyes sunk even lower into the puppy, becoming ever so grimmer.

"I found him…" she sadly muttered. The cheerful girl would not be deterred by the ever growing depression this girl before radiated.

"Oh. Are you keeping it?"

"My parents said he can't stay and he has to go. Now, he's gonna be all alone again." Thinking about this finally drove the depressed girl to tears, sobbing quietly into the puppy's belly. Even the puppy stopped happily wagging its tail and began to let out a soft whimper. Again, the happy girl would not be deterred by this girl's depression.

"Hey!" she yelled to get her attention. The sad girl looked up again to find the girl in front of her… pulling her face into weird contortions whilst yelling out odd sounds reminding her of drunken people whom frequented her home. For some reason, she felt her frown slowly morph into that of a smile, with small fits of laughter growing exponentially louder.

"Did that cheer you up?" the jovial girl asked.

"Uh, huh. Thank you," the formerly depressed girl replied with a soft smile. It turned out she had a small voice anyway.

"By the way, my name is Chie Satonaka. What's yours?"

"My name is Yukiko Amagi."

"Nice to meet you. We're friends now!" Chie shouted with glee, and brought her eyes down to the puppy again, "Now about that puppy…"

Yukiko tilted her head in confusion wondering what she meant.

* * *

_**-4/15/2011 – Rainy – 7:30 PM-**_

_**Dojima Residence**_

He didn't know when it started raining, but he swore he could hear the heavy rain drops splatter upon the rooftop of the aging home. Yu took a good look at his surroundings to find the old couch that middle-aged man he called "Uncle" usually sat (and napped) upon empty as usual. He also found a pack of store-bought bento boxes in front of him, filled with pre-prepared food of the usually unhealthy sort. This irked him to unhealthy levels, but didn't have the energy or strength left in him to actually go out and buy ingredients. He then looked across the table to find his little cousin staring off into the TV, entranced by the news report that just came on.

"Dad's late," Nanako softly sighed, resigning to yet another fatherless dinner. Yu honestly felt bad for her; it reminded him of his own childhood: parents coming home late almost every night, leaving him with the apartment to himself for the majority of the evening. Although a year ago, his parents suddenly stopped arriving home at 8PM, only to venture out near midnight, with katanas of all things. Yu still couldn't figure that part out, but didn't even bother to ask as any time he would bring up something remotely about the subject, they would switch subjects in a blink of an eye. So his relationship with his parents got better; he couldn't say the same for the little girl in front of him, who sat there listening to the report on TV.

"_Our next story is an update in our ongoing report on the bizarre murders occurring in Inaba. At around 7:00AM, local high school student Saki Konishi was found dead in Inaba's residential area. Since the body was positioned similarly to the last victim, and since Konishi-san was the one who discovered that body, police are proceeding under the assumption that this may be a serial murder case related to the death of Mayumi Yamano. The coroner's report has established Konishi-san's time of death at around 1:00AM last night. The body went unnoticed until this morning as a result of the heavy fog blanketing the area." _Nanako sighed again, knowing full well what this report meant.

"Another incident… Dad won't be coming home tonight." Yu looked at the little girl as her eyes drooped even lower.

'Geeez, it got even more depressing. Isn't Dojima-san supposed to be here with her at times like this?!' he bitterly thought.

'_It seems like instead of taking a more conservative approach and protecting the family,' _Izanagi began in his head, _'he decided to take the radical, proactive route and catch the person behind it. It does seem the logical way to do it, though I terribly disagree.'_

'Looks like I'll have to brighten up the place…' "I'll be here with you."

"…I'll be okay," she quietly replied, "Oh, I need to do the di –"

"I'll help," Yu quickly suggested, much to the surprise and delight of Nanako. The two of them got up and washed the remaining dishes. What usually took Nanako ten minutes to wash now took them a little over 3 minutes. Yu had a knack of creating an efficient process to everything, including washing the dishes. He would always wash with hot water (luckily enough, there were sink gloves for him to use), and made Nanako dry. He applied just enough pressure to scrape all food bits from the dirty dishware in one simple stroke, using another stroke to lather it in suds. He then quickly rinsed and passed it off to Nanako, who took her time drying.

"Hehe. It goes a lot faster when two people are helping out with the housework," she sang. Yu only gave her a slight nod.

After a bit, they found themselves seated back at the low coffee table, staring at the news report (as if there was much to watch in the first place). It seemed they had just missed a Junes commercial, only to be brought back to the main newscast.

"_And we're back with a special report. We will now hand it over to Hata-san, who joins us from the Amagi Inn!"_ The scene switched over to a ryokan, and a green-haired reporter with no nose… and no visible mouth, either.

"_Amagi Inn, located upstream of Samegawa River, is the town's oldest historical landmark. Vacationers are known to travel surprising distances in order to visit its open-air, radium-rich hot springs. After the incident with Mayumi Yamano, the manager has stepped aside, leaving her daughter to fill her shoes!"_

The dark green haired reporter stood outside of the inn, gesturing to the teenage girl dressed in a pink kimono ways away. Yu remembered something he heard not too long ago, as a matter of fact, a couple of hours ago. He was talking to a girl, whose parents own a ryokan. He remembered her wearing a pink kimono, the same one the featured girl on television was wearing.

"_In other words, she's a manager who's still in high school! Now that has a nice ring to it… Let's see if we can interview her. Excuse me!"_ the reporter casually called to the girl in pink.

"_Huh?!"_ she squeaked, _"Are you speaking to me?"_

"_We've heard that you're the new manager. Is it true you're still in high school?"_ Of all the things the reporter could have asked, he decided to go with the most obvious one with the most obvious answer. He gradually shoved his nose-less face up to the poor girl, almost smothering her.

"_Oh, well, I'm only filling in temporarily…"_

"_Someday, though… That aside, wow! You're looking gorgeous in that kimono. You must have a lot of male visitors."_ That question really took Yukiko by surprise, as she was now cowering away in fear.

"_Huh? No, um…"_ she stammered, trying to find a way to gently turn away this reporter. Yu had just about enough of this program for the evening, so he decided to finish the remaining housework with Nanako who was merrily singing the Junes theme song to herself.

* * *

_**-Rainy – 11:59 PM-**_

_**Yu's Room**_

As he suspected, rain still poured down the windows by the time he had finished the remaining housework and his homework, despite the fact that he felt heavy and completely out of energy. He needed to watch the Midnight Channel tonight to ensure he wasn't just seeing things and the past three days were nothing but a very bad nightmare. As he noticed two nights ago, the TV will flicker on by itself and show of image of a person. But, who it was remained a mystery and (as of earlier this afternoon) was in extreme danger; he wasn't just going to stand idle and let it happen. He may be cold to people, but he wasn't heartless. He watched the screen before him intently, waiting in his dark room for the clock to strike midnight.

"_In other Inaba-related news,"_ the weatherwoman droned on, _"meteorologists are predicting heavy fog throughout the year. The region has seen an abnormal amount of fog over the past few years, and the cause of the climate change is unknown. Whatever the reason, residents of Inaba are advised to be cautious. Our broadcast tonight was extended to bring you up-to-date news on the ongoing incident in Inaba. The time is now midnight."_

If he remembered anything from the night Yu first saw the Midnight Channel, his television was off when it happened. To recreate the conditions he experienced, he hit the switch. As if magic happened, the television screen came to life emitting an eerie yellow glow with ripples. It seemed just as odd as the first time he saw it, only the silhouette that appeared on the screen was of a different shape. This time, it wasn't as distinguishable but he could make out its feminine figure, and it looked like she was wearing something draped over her entire body, most likely a kimono.

There was one thought that ran across Yu's mind… what happened if he were to touch the TV while it was airing? Will he touch the person? Maybe feel a strange sensation of physical contact? Or even be able to communicate with the shadow? These thoughts ran across his mind as he reached forward.

"Whoa…" he gasped, as his hand slipped through, loud enough to be heard just outside his door. He was sure no one would be up this late, but didn't count the tiny pair of eyes peeking through the cracks of the partly-closed door. After a few seconds with his hand in the screen, the yellow glow faded and the figure disappeared. The screen returned to black and he let out a long sigh. Just then, the door creaked in the darkness, startling Yu.

"Who's there?!" he quietly yelled. A small squeak from the doorway answered for a response. Yu could immediately tell who this was, based on the pitch of the squeak and at what height it came from. "Nanako-chan… uh… come in?"

The door slowly opened to reveal a small and _very_ frightened girl. Yu knew what this meant; he was in for a barrage of questions in which he doesn't have a single answer for. She slowly made her way towards the tall teen and stared up at him.

"Uh… what were you doing sticking your hand into a TV?" she asked.

'I have no answers to this…' Yu mentally panicked.

'_I wish I could help you out, Yu-sama,' _Izanagi offered, _'but alas, I am, too, stumped. Perhaps you could maybe tell her the truth and she'll brush it off as you being crazy.'_

'Yeah, that'll work.' "Uh… just testing the natural viscosity of a glass screen?" Yu nervously replied.

"Oh…" Nanako reasoned, "So like what you did that one night, except you didn't want to hurt yourself."

"Uh, yeah. That. Anyways… what were you doing up so late?"

"I was going to the bathroom, and when I came out, I heard you say something… Am I still supposed to keep this from Dad?"

"If at all possible, please; I really don't want to drag anyone else into this."

"Into what?" Nanako asked with a puzzled look.

"Uh, nothing! Just need you to make sure you keep it a secret between you and me, okay!"

"Okay!" she complied happily. She skipped out of the room and down the stairs back into her own room. Whatever little Nanako took from his response, Yu hoped it wouldn't put any unnecessary collateral damage from the current situation. As far as he knew, only he, Yosuke, and another person out there has the power to enter television sets for some odd, bizarre reasons unknown…

_**-Dream state-**_

_**Velvet Room**_

Yu slowly opened his eyes and found himself sitting in a chair. All around him, the only color hesaw was blue. This tipped him off immediately that he was back in the weird dimension _they_ called The Velvet Room. Waiting for him with a deep stare was none other than the same old man and the same woman that greeted him his first day.

"Welcome…" the old man greeted, "Do not be alarmed. You are fast asleep in the real world… I have summoned you within your dreams."

'This is evasion of privacy,' Yu grumbled in his head.

"This is the way we summon guests if there is something important. Let's just say it's much less… intrusive than if we were to pull you out of broad daylight."

"Wait… I didn't even say that!"

"Your thoughts can be heard throughout this space, of course if we so choose to listen. This is one small part in the Sea of Consciousness," Margaret explained, "Your first time in here was quite the reaction."

"Ah," Yu hesitantly submitted. He lowered his head in embarrassment, clearly remembering the first time he went into the room and completely grinded on the old man. "My apologies, Igor-san. What I thought at the time was out of line."

"It is no problem, young man," Igor reassured, "I understand if one was suddenly found in a place unknown with an old man like me. It must have been a shock."

"Heh. No kidding."

"And so," Igor concluded, "we meet again." Igor then turned to Margaret, signaling her cue. It was as if they rehearsed their banter, only waiting to use it on some unsuspecting "guest" of the Velvet Room.

"This is a space that only those who have, in one way or another, entered into a contract may enter," Margaret began, "In your daily life, you subconsciously heard the call to awaken, and you chose to follow the destiny of your inner voice… thereby enacting your glorious awakening to your power… judging by your friend behind you." At this point, it was safe to assume that by "friend," she meant Izanagi. Yu jerked his head back to check if his partner was indeed there and found the giant masked humanoid indeed standing behind him.

"Okay… didn't expect this…"

'_Greetings, Yu-sama,'_ Izanagi greeted,_ 'It appears as if I am able to manifest a form in this world, if I so please.'_

"Now," Igor interrupted, "onto the main topic at hand." He waved his hand in the air and summoned a shining blue key, much like the ones he's seen in fantasy manga he has read. What was odd about this key was at the handle, there was the same face that was shown on the backs of Izanagi's card. He didn't have much time to ponder the subject, though.

"Hold on to this…" Igor gestured at the floating key. Yu took this as a sign to take it and clip it to his key ring.

"From this night forth, you are our guest in this Velvet Room. Your destiny will require you to hone your power, and for that, you will inevitably require our help. There is but one price for this assistance: You must abide by your contract and assume responsibility for all decisions you may make."

"A contract? I don't get it."

"…That is fine, for now. The Persona you have acquired – It is a side of you that shows itself when you face the world around you. Perhaps you can think of it as… a facade of determination you wear to face various difficulties in life. Your persona ability, however, is that of the Wild Card… Compared to that of others, it is very special. It is like the number zero: empty, yet holding infinite potential within itself.

"Uh… Wild Card? Special? What're yah talking about?"

"The Persona ability is the power to control one's own heart, and the heart is strengthened through bonds. As you form bonds by becoming involved with others, your own Social Links will gradually develop. The power of these Social Links is what will determine your Persona's abilities."

"Wait… Did you just say 'power' and 'strengthen your bonds' in the same sentence? Like you want me to weaponize my relationships with people?" It appeared the Igor was not paying attention to Yu's concerns and turned her head to Margaret.

"Social Links are necessary for more than strengthening your Persona," she added, "At times, they will help light the way to the truth you are searching for. Where will your awakened power of the wild card take you? I look forward to traveling the road of your destiny together." She let out a very sultry chuckle, one that could make even Yu melt in her hands.

"Wait! Hold up! I don't think I'm okay with usi –"

"'Til we meet again…"

"WAI –"

* * *

_**-4/16/2011 – Cloudy – 8:15 AM-**_

_**Front Gates – Yasogami High School**_

He was tired, so tired. Half of his mind swam with questions about the previous day. The other half pondered the morality of weaponizing relationships. To top it all off, the Midnight Channel aired again with a different person on the screen, and he was for sure Yosuke was going to bombard him with questions. Yu was not mentally prepared for today.

"Yo!" Yosuke greeted, "You saw what was on last night?"

"Yeah. It was kinda weird."

"I couldn't tell who it was," he went on excitedly, "but if someone's shown up on TV, we can't ignore it. Let's go check it out after school. Maybe Teddie can tell us something. If it turns out someone was thrown in again, there really might be a culprit behind all this even if it is something about that place that's killing the victims… If someone's using that world as a weapon, that's unforgivable."

'Geeeez, he talks a lot…' "Yeah, I agree."

"We need to find the culprit no matter what it takes! There's no way the police can do it... Who'd believe that the murderer kills people by throwing them into the TV?

'We get your point. Please stop talking already…' Yu mentally complained. He decided to keep quiet silently nod his head.

"You know," Yosuke curiously added, "I tried sticking my head in the TV last night, the way you did, and it actually worked."

"No kidding."

"I think I can do that now because I have the same power… Persona, wasn't it? Could be that we got this gift from someone specifically so we could solve the case. Then again, you managed to go inside the TV and get your Persona first."

"Ahhh…"

"You don't talk much, do you…"

'I'm in hell…'

_**Class 2-2**_

It amazed Yu how one person could still be going on about a very particular subject; even the girls at his other old school were not this bad (he tuned them out, anyways). Yosuke kept ranting away about his experience with the Midnight Channel the previous night. Yu knew it couldn't hold a candle to what he experienced himself the previous night. The conversation finally broke when the door violently slammed open. This revealed a panting, panicking Chie Satonaka.

"Is she still not here?" she frantically yelled at the two teens. Yu had an idea of who she was referring to?"

"Huh? Amagi-san?"

"Uh… no?" Yosuke tried to think, not that he noticed people coming and going from the classroom, "She hasn't shown up yet." This set Chie off on the walls.

"Oh man… What should I do? Hey, is that stuff you were talking about for real? You know, all that about how people showing up on the Midnight Channel is related to that other world and everything?"

"Oh, we were just talking about that. We're thinking of checking it out lat –"

"The person on TV yesterday… I think it was Yukiko. That kimono looked like the one she wears at the inn, and she wore it during that interview a few days ago too. I got worried, so I emailed here last night, but she hasn't responded. I called her earlier in the evening though, and she said she'd be at school today. I-I…"

"Calm down," Yu quietly told her.

"Yeah, chill out for a sec," Yosuke reassured in a much friendlier way, "You still haven't heard from her?"

"No…"

"We should probably explain everything to you…"

Within ten minutes, Yosuke and Yu gave Chie a quick rundown of what happened inside the TV World. They covered everything from finding Teddie, to Saki's voice, to Yosuke's shadow (and everything it spat). Of course, Chie managed to take only one thing from the entire explanation.

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying… Yukiko was thrown in there?!"

'This chick…' Yu sighed, "We don't know for sure. We should check to see if she's safe first."

"Give her another call," Yosuke suggested. Chie quickly drew her green cell phone from her pocket and started pushing buttons at a very rapid pace. It was to the point one had to squint and really concentrate on which button she hit and where. She finally put the phone to her ear and waited for the dial tones, only to be forwarded to Yukiko's voicemail box.

"Damn it! S-She's not answering…"

"Are you serious?" Yosuke's face paled, "then is Yukiko-san inside that place?" This made Chie descend into further panic, almost to the point of hyperventilating.

"S-Stop it! Something must've come up, like an errand or something… Oh, or she might be helping at the inn! She wouldn't be able to answer her cell if that's it!"

Yu had never been in a school environment where teachers allowed students to cut class for family reasons unless it was a life-threatening emergency. This idea seemed absurd at best. As he attended mainly preparatory schools, truancy was punishable by suspension, especially overseas.

"Would she skip school for that?" Yu wondered.

"W-Well, I'll give the inn a call," she decided, "Umm… I've got the number here somewhere…" She quickly dialed the Inn's line.

_~ring~_

_~ring~_

"C'mon, Yukiko… Pick up…"

_~ring~_

_~ring~_

_~click~_

"_Hello?"_ a soft voice answered from the other side.

"I-Is this Yukiko?!"

"_Chie? What's the matter?" _

"Thank god, you're okaaaaay!" The now candid conversation continued on for what seemed like eternity. "Uh-huh… Uh-huh, I see… Ah, uh. Nah, it was nothing, haha. I'll text you again later…" Chie hung up the line and let out a long sigh, not before turning her head towards the other two.

"She was over at the inn. She said they had a huge party without a reservation. Yeah… now that I think about it, this has happened before, too at least once a year. She said she'll be at the inn tomorrow, too. Damn it, Yosuke! You got me worried sick! She was totally fine!"

"S-Sorry…" Yosuke nervously apologized, "but there is a reason we thought that."

"Oh yeah? What?"

"Well…" Yu jumped in, "based on the information Teddie gave us, we thought people appear on the Midnight Channel because they're already over there."

"I mean, it makes sense, right?" Yosuke added, "People show up on TV because they're inside the TV. But Yukiko-san's still here, in our world."

"True, we should see what this is about."

* * *

_**-Cloudy – 3:30 PM-**_

_**First Floor**_

It was a mess of a day. Class 2-2's schedule seemed to be filled with rather eccentric teachers, each with different personalities. Aside from the infamous King Moron, there was a teacher who looked like she walked out of a history textbook, another who was obviously not happy with her marriage, a gym teacher who claimed he could speak English (which Yu completely floored him in terms of proficiency), and an older man who eyed the more attractive females in the class (especially Aika, who sat at the back corner). Yu sighed at himself as he followed Yosuke and Chie down the stairs into the school's lobby. He caught a glimpse of what Chie was holding: a notebook with what was supposed to be words…

"Uh, what's that?" Yu piqued out of curiosity. Yosuke noticed as well and peered over her shoulder.

"Whoa," Yosuke gasped, "your handwriting really sucks!" He then broke down into uncontrollable laughter, in which the sole of a shoe swiftly made contact with his stomach sending him into unbearable pain.

"Shut up, you!" she cried. Chie then directed her attention to Yu, presumably to explain the contents of the material in her notebook, "I took a few notes for Yukiko."

"…They look great…" the magician wheezed as he fell to the floor.

'Those notes are atrocious… I should probably give Amagi-san my notes…'

'_What does that even say?!'_ Izanagi questioned.

As Yu was about to turn towards the front doors, he looked to the place he first met Yukiko. Posters, flyers, and other advisements of the club variety filled the bulletin board. Of the few he actually paid attention to, he noticed it didn't include a kendo club (which was odd). He did, however, notice they had a basketball team and an orchestra, two of the most out-of-place clubs for a mostly rural town.

"Oh, hey!" a voice called from a distance, "Are you the new transfer student?" The student who called out to him walked up. From what Yu could tell, he stood of average height, but a very athletic build. His dark blue hair threw him off, though. Next to him stood another athletic-looking student, but much taller and with brown hair… and a bandage across his nose.

"Oh… uh, yeah," Yu replied completely disinterested.

"You play much basketball?"

"Uh, back in middle school?" Contrary to everyone's first impression of him, Yu actually did play basketball in middle school (for various teams) and was considered to be part of each team's "Miracle 5." He also took part of the kendo team his first year of high school, along with competing in basketball. Of course if he were to join any team, he had very high expectations and the student here trying to convince him was not doing a very good job. He didn't have very long to think as the girl that led Yu and the currently downed Yosuke started waving her hand from a distance.

"Yooo! C'mon, let's go!" she called out. Yu turned back towards the recruiting teens and bid them farewell as well, with Yosuke magically recovering to his feet.

"Uh, see yah," Yu said.

" Heh, tough luck, Ichijo" Yosuke jeered, "better luck next time." This didn't discourage the recruiting teen, however…

"Well if you decide to come, we're here; even bumbling juniors are welcome!"

* * *

_**-4:30 PM-**_

_**Electronics Department – Junes Department Store**_

It was not unusual for a large department store to be crowded on days like this; shoppers filled every floor from top to bottom. The normally empty electronics section the three teens found themselves in was no exception. There were a good amount of people in the surrounding area, so both Chie and Yosuke surrounded the tall, silver-haired teen as he bent down towards the television. Apparently, this was supposed to be conspicuous.

"Okay, dude," Yosuke whispered, "Stick your hand in." Yu didn't question his suggestion as there was no other option to beckon the talking teddy bear over. He guessed it would be better caught placing a hand in the TV rather than with his head inside the TV. He slowly let his hand slip through the screen which rippled from the point of his hand. After a few seconds of waving it around, he felt a sharp pain centered on his thumb.

"Hrng!" he grunted as he threw his hand back out of the screen inspecting for damage.

"Shhh!" Yosuke grumbled, "Not so loud, you idiot!"

"You try getting bitten!" Yu retorted back. Chie looked as his hand and saw the bear-like bite marks around his thumb.

"Dude! It left teeth marks! Are you okay?"

"I might be dying," Yu stoically stated.

"Uh, no you're not," Chie deadpanned. She turned her attention to the TV where she knew the bear was still listening in. "Hey, you! We know you're in there!"

"_Is that Chie-chan I hear?"_ the bear replied back, all too excitedly.

"We don't have time for this!" Chie pushed, "Can you sense anyone inside there right now?"

"Who's 'anyone'? I'm all by my bearsome. This land feels so bear-ren…"

"Oh, hell…" Yu grumbled to himself. Yosuke joined in as well.

"So there's no one inside? You're sure?"

"Of course!" Teddie replied, "My snout is working most bear-rificly today!" Chie didn't trust the bear, not one bit.

"…I'm gonna go warn Yukiko anyway. Since she'll be busy this weekend helping out at the inn, I doubt she'd go anywhere alone, but still…" Even the normally stoic Yu felt concerned for the well-being of their classmate.

"You'll walk with her to school on Monday, right?" Yu asked. This prompted a look from Yosuke.

"He actually shows concern?" Chie gasped in disbelief, "Sure, I'll go pick her up at her house."

"It's not like I'm _totally_ heartless…"

"Oh, brother…"

"Maybe we'll find out more on tonight's Midnight Channel," Yosuke concluded, "Cross your fingers that this is all a misunderstanding…" The minute he said that, Yosuke pulls out his phone. "What's your cell number? I'll call you when I watch it tonight."

Yu had a knack of getting phone numbers and deleting them on his way home. He knew they were never going to call him, and he was never going to call them. But, things were different this time as the situation has landed them in constant need on communication. Yu would have to hold back from deleting the number.

"Here," Yu said as he held up his phone. The Bluetooth signal sent and received for both phones. Yu even put a marker next to his name with "DO NOT DELETE" (it could be found next to his parents' names as well…).

"Alright, don't forget to watch tonight. Let's hope this thing blows over…"

* * *

_**-Rainy – 9:00 PM-**_

_**The Streets of Inaba**_

The weather regressed to rain, the cloudy weather deciding on a short stay. Red and blue lights fill the residential district as the Yasoinaba Police Force began their patrol of the town. In the wake of such a dangerous and bizarre incident, it was foolish not to have patrol cars run up and down the street, sometimes in packs of two or three. It was here where one found a group of cars containing a scruffy, middle-aged man with a younger one, supposedly a rookie, chatting idly about the ongoing situation. The more experienced man seemed less than pleased.

"Looks like we found all that we're going to find here," the younger of the two concluded after walking back from a scene, "and we've still got nothing that points directly to a suspect…"

"We don't even know if this is a homicide," the older of the two groaned. He stopped to scratch his unshaved beard with his free hand.

"Well, what else could it be?" the younger one questioned, "There's no way a body could end up like that by accident!" The older one looked away and gave a gruff sigh, coming up with nothing to counteract the point.

"…I know. We haven't found the cause of death for the first vic, and now we've got a second one just like it. If this is a murder case, there's no doubt we're dealing with a single perp. But if that's true… what the hell is going on?"

"You know," the younger one thought out loud, "I thought at first this all spun out of that love triangle."

"No," the older one bluntly disagreed, "That singer, Misuzu Hiiragi, has a solid alibi. She was performing overseas, and her phone records prove it. And remember, the only reason the scandal went public was because Hiiragi herself broke it to the media. No one would put themselves under suspicion that way if they had murder on their mind." This time, the younger one had no solid counterpoint.

"Got a point there…" he sighed. The older one continued with his deduction.

"Same with Taro Namatame, her husband. No matter how much we shake him down, nothing links him to the murders. He's been working in the city for the past six months. Seems he was here recently because of the scandal, but he was swamped with work back home at the time of the incident. There are eyewitnesses and other evidence placing him at his office the night that Mayumi Yamano died. And we can't find anything that shows Yamano making contact with Namatame before or after her disappearance…"

"You hear Namatame's career has also been killed stone dead?" the younger one added on, changing the subject, "He's been fired from his position as secretary. He's practically as much of a victim as the Yamano girl."

"Yeah, I agree. Then we have the second case, regarding Saki Konishi. She's the one who discovered Yamano's corpse... But I don't buy the killer shutting her up as a possible motive. She was killed well after she reported the body, and the culprit didn't hide her. It's like they were meant to be found. The only other connection is that she attended the same school as the daughter of the inn where Yamano was holed up. But that hardly points to a motive. Coincidences like that are common in a town as small as ours."

"Yeah… I heard about that angle on the news, too." This revelation sent the older one's eyes into a dilated state. He locked eyes on the younger one.

"What?!" the older one yelled, "Is the story about the inn out already?" The younger one didn't seem too bothered by the sudden question, so he continued his deduction.

"Okay, I got it! How's this? Maybe there was something about the corpse that only Saki Konishi knew! And our perp killed her to keep whatever it was from leaking out!" The older one couldn't deny that possibility and quietly backed down.

"…Either way, all we can do now is keep investigating anyone involved with the victims," he concluded, "Our perp… It has to be someone in Inaba."

"Ooh, is your detective's intuition at work?" the younger one chuckled, attempting to lighten the situation. Needless to say, it failed.

* * *

_**-Rainy – Midnight-**_

_**Yu's Room**_

The silver-haired young man paced about the room. On one hand, he wondered if the girl who appeared the night before would show up on today's airing. On the other hand, he would rather not get caught by Nanako and drive her to worry. The last thing he needed was for someone as innocent as her to start spitting nonsense to her father, who was probably out looking for some information on the first and now second murders.

The rain continued to splatter on the window, with thunder and wind creating even more noise. Darkness filled the room and the door completely shut. Ever so slowly, the clock crept 1 minute closer to midnight. Soon, the large black hand and small black hand merged together with a northern salute, splitting the roman numeral twelve in half. As if on cue, the dark screen came to life…

The first thing Yu noticed was the clarity of the airing had massively improved. He noticed what appeared to be a brick walkway that probably led to a castle of sorts. It had reminded him of when he traveled in England several years back. Forced kissing sounds soon made its way in, followed by a pink glove and a _very_ familiar face in a _very_ flashy, pink princess dress.

"_Oh, hello there! My name is Yukiko Amagi and tonight, I'm gonna hunt me down a stud muffin!"_ the person, who now proclaimed to be Yukiko Amagi, sang.

"W-What the –" Yu stuttered as he stared wide-eyed at the screen before him. Based on what he knew from just talking to her, she seemed not the type to openly declare a romantically raunchy manhunt. Still, the flashy princess continued her immodest declaration of availability…

"_Are you ready? Saddle up and reign in your stud! It's Princess Yukiko's hunt for Prince Charming! I came prepared: I've got my lacy unmentionables and so is my… _(she drew a heart on the screen, much to Yu's shock)_ heart! I'm out to catch a whole harem, and the best of the lot is gonna be all mine! Well, time to go!"_ The raunchy princess, known as Yukiko Amagi, ran away into a large castle under the red sky, much like the ones he experienced in the apartment complex and the shopping district in the TV world. Yu could barely believe what he had just seen, his jaw completely dropped to the ground and his breath at a standstill. He only had time utter a single phrase:

"Ho… ly… fuck…"

Suddenly, his phone on the table in front of him started ringing. True to his intentions, he did not delete Yosuke's number like he normally would have.

"_H-Hey! D-Did you see that?!" _Yosuke stuttered in shock.

"Yeah," Yu deadpanned, "…I kinda wished I taped it…"

"Really, dude? A-Anyway, that was Yukiko-san for sure! It looked like her… I mean, she even said her name! But didn't the stuff she was saying sound weird?! She looked like she was on some low-budget TV show…"

"Calm down. Call Satonaka-san."

"Y-You're right! Let's get her to contact Yukiko-san! Tomorrow's Sunday, so let's meet up at Junes first thing in the morning!"

"Right." ~click~

'As if I'll be getting any form of sleep tonight…'

_**Amagi Inn**_

She ran through the slick streets at the dead of night, passing through unlit houses that bathed in a moonless slumber. Her footsteps echoed through the neighborhood, the pacing become faster and more frantic as she neared her destination. At the end of the street, lights of a ryokan illuminated the night sky. The girl stopped at the door, catching her bated breath.

"Yukiko… don't you disappear on me, yet…"

She ran to the front door and threw it open, startling the attendant who stood behind the desk.

"Oh hi, Chie-chan," the attendant greeted, "what bring you over here so late in the night?"

"K-Kasan-san… is Yukiko around?" The older woman thought in her head for a couple of seconds, and then looked around the reception area. She even tried calling her name, with no response.

"Hmmm… she was supposed to return to the front desk 45 minutes ago. Now that I think about it, it is strange that she disappeared to who knows where… is there anything you need her for?"

"H-Huh?! O-Oh… I just needed help on some homework, heheheh…"

"I'm sure she's just in the back getting something. Her shift is almost up. I think she'll be available tomorrow morning."

"O-Okay. I'll swing by tomorrow morning to see if she's still there."

* * *

_**-4/17/2011 – Sunny – 10:30 AM-**_

_**Dojima Residence**_

A loud yawn filled the room. A sleepy teenager awoke with the sound of his alarm, breaking the peaceful silence of the room. He dragged himself up and out of bed, clearly regretting leaving its comfort.

'I didn't get a single wink of sleep…'

'_I guess some tea would wake you up, or a splash of cold water to the face,'_ Izanagi suggested.

'As if I didn't know that already… that airing last night was rather disturbing, though.'

'_Yeah, who knew an innocent girl like her could possess a side like that?'_

'I'm not liking the sound of this…'

After finishing his morning rituals, he made his way downstairs. The first thing he noticed was the young girl of the Dojima household quietly watching TV with her sullen expression as usual. She noticed his footsteps and tried to put a bright smile on, if only managing to look like a weak one at best.

'So, she even does this on weekends?'

"Good morning!" she sang.

"Good morning…" he dully responded, "where's your father?" As if she had a book of standard answers, she monotonously gave one.

"He left already. He said he's gonna be late."

"Ah…" Yu had several options here: leave the house and little Nanako can watch over so he can save Yukiko, or stay there and watch Nanako and potentially leave Yukiko to die. He found himself with a rather tough decision: protect one person with the fate of many others unknown, or potentially save many people and leave the fate of one person unknown.

'Leaving myself at home was fine; I had methods of defending myself. Leaving a little girl at home by herself, now that's just bad parenting.' Nanako noticed the teen in deep thought, clearly conflicted.

"Are you going somewhere?" she softly asked, "I can hold down the fort."

"Oh," Yu responded. At least she was open to watching the house, but it still did not change the underlying issue. Nanako noticed the newscast she was watching had moved onto the weather segment, showing sunny skies for the next few days. "Oh, the sun's gonna come out! I should do some laundry." She noticed Yu still standing there in contemplation.

"Uh… weren't you going somewhere?" she innocently asked. Yu made the point to leave the house.

* * *

_**-11:00AM-**_

_**Food Court – Junes Department Store**_

It was a bright, sunny morning at the local Junes. Shoppers packed the food court Yu found himself sitting at waiting for the other two to show face. For some reason, Yu enjoyed people watching. He would sometimes find himself tapped into conversations as an observer, like a bug planted on a host. Of the many conversations going on, they were about the recent interview with Yukiko. Yu couldn't understand the logic of media and how it tends to blow things out of proportion; frankly, he didn't want a part in it. All thoughts were suddenly cut when an individual approached his table, wielding a katana and a kunai.

"Check these out!" Yosuke greeted excitedly, "I found some stuff we can use in the closet at home." Yu knew it was insane for a person to be carrying weapons around, especially during an ongoing serial murder investigation. It was as if the kid before him was asking to get arrested.

"You've gotta be kidding me…" Yu chided. That didn't stop Yosuke from swinging it around like he was trying to copy some action shows. Yu grew more skeptical of wanting to associate with him.

"Man, do I look cool with these! Whatdayah think, man?"

"Uhhh…" Yu trailed off. To top it all off, Yosuke licked the sharp edge of the katana, thinking he was the most badass of them all. This of course created much unneeded attention, especially from the on duty police officer who now rushed towards the two.

"I've spotted two suspicious teens wielding bladed weapons," he yelled into his communicator, "Hey! Stop right there!"

"W-Wait!" Yosuke cried, "This isn't what it looks like! We didn't steal it or anything. Me and my buddy here are just huge weapon fanatics, heheheh…"

"Speak for yourself!" Yu retorted. He did not want any part in this. The officer did not agree, however.

"Put the weapons down now!" the officer demanded, "We'll listen to your story at the station. Hands where I can see them, too! I said now!" Yosuke, either if out of determination or stupidity, kept swinging his blades around in panic.

"Are you resisting an officer of the law?! Y-You're under arrest!"

The five minutes that passed afterwards became a blur. Yu Narukami went from scholarship student at the top one percent of his class to delinquent who turned into a blade fanatic. As they were being shoved into a police car, a teenage girl showed up hollering at the two.

"Huh? Guys? Guys?! H-Hey! Wait up!" Chie cried as she tried to chase the police car holding Yu and Yosuke, "Yukiko…"

_**Inside the Police Car**_

"Yosuke-kun…" Yu sighed, "What the hell, man?"

"…Shut up…"

* * *

_**-2:00 PM-**_

_**Inaba Police Station**_

Yu found himself face to face with his intimidating uncle, who was not in the least happy to see him, in the very building where he worked. For the past two and a half hours, they were grilled by officers and detectives alike in a dark interrogation room. The very latest one happened to be his uncle, who really couldn't believe his usually silent nephew would be sitting across him in an interrogation room. He let out a very frustrated sigh.

"It didn't occur to me that you'd be the type to pull a stupid stunt like this…"

"We're sorry…" the two teens apologized.

"You know what's been going on around town. We got men stationed everywhere. For god's sake, you're lucky I was around or this would have ended up on your permanent record."

"We're sorry…" the two teens apologized again. Yu knew better than to argue with those of the law. He had to just ride through it and hope for minimal damage.

"Look," Dojima looked towards Yu as they walked out of the interrogation room, "I promised your mother to keep you out of harm's way, not drag you into it. Please don't force me to call her; that's the last thing I want to do."

"Sorry, it won't happen again." Just then, an officer and a detective passed by the group engaged in what was seemingly normal banter.

"Wait, so the one that disappeared was the Amagi girl?" the detective in the suit inquired.

"Seems like it…" the officer confirmed, "but she's just a high schooler, you know. Could be that she just ran away…"At the very mention of Yukiko's name and the word disappearance, Yosuke's face paled.

"H-Hey, did he say Amagi? Then… She really is –"

"Hm? Who's what now?" Dojima jumped in, catching only the tail end of the statement.

"Oh, uh, nothing."

"I'm sure you've seen on the news that there's an investigation in progress," Dojima explained, "We're sensitive about certain things. You're free to go. But this better not happen again." The two teens nodded and headed towards the entrance where they found a visibility distraught Chie.

"There you are!" she cried.

"Oh, what's up, Chie?" Yosuke greeted back, hoping she had at least good news that was the exact opposite of what he heard from the two officers. Based on Chie's pale expression, he knew it wasn't good.

"It's Yukiko… she's gone missing!"

"What?!" the two boys exclaimed, confirming the worst has indeed happened. Chie continued on with her findings.

"S-She was definitely home last night; I checked! But since then, no one's seen her at all. I've asked around everywhere!"

"Uh, mam," an unfamiliar voice called out from behind them, "we already know about this. Amagi-san's family called in this morning to have us start looking for her. Is she your friend?"

"Yeah," Chie confirmed.

"Could you remember anything unusual happening lately? Like something bothering her?" the detective suddenly probed, throwing Chie and Yosuke off. Yu, though, could guess why he would ask that question.

'This guy probably thinks she did it…'

"Uh, why would you want to know that? Bothering her?" Yosuke asked back in confusion.

"Well," the detective explained, "It appears that Yamano-san, was staying at the Amagi Inn before the first murder. Seems Yamano-san had some harsh words for the manager about the staff's attitude towards guests. The stress of it caused the manager to collapse. And with Amagi-san being the manager's daughter, she must've felt pretty strongly about the incident, y'know. By the way, did Amagi-san ever hint that she might be leaving the house? 'Cause if not, there's been some theories floating around that she's laying low for some reason or another…"

"Hold on," Yu cut in, "This is baseless accusa –"

"Huh?! You think Yukiko did it?!"Chie screamed as she began to lunge forward at the detective. Yu and Yosuke jumped in to hold her back, with Yu standing in between the detective and Chie and Yosuke incapacitating her with a dual arm lock.

"P-Please calm down, mam; w-we're not accusing anybody of anything. We're just…" the detective trailed off as he caught himself making a mistake. He started mumbling to himself, "Shit, I've said too much. You didn't hear that, okay?"

"Adachi!" Dojima called out from afar, "What the hell are you chatting with civvies for?! And where's my coffee?!"

"S-Sorry, boss! I got it right here!" the detective, known as Adachi, said as he ran off towards his boss. The teens were left their wondering all that just happened, with Chie particularly shaken up and in tears.

"Yukiko… she would never…"

_**Shopping District**_

"Look, we need to save her," Chie declared as the three of them marched down the Shopping District on their way to Junes. The mood was much heavier and tenser than ever before. They now had a mission to save their friend, and they need to do it quickly. Who knows when and how fast the fog was going to settle in. They already knew whenever the fog settles in this world and lifts in the other word, people and living things over in the other world are in mortal danger. Based on what they heard at the station, Yu and Yosuke lost all confidence in the police.

"Man, the police are useless; we've gotta handle it ourselves," Yosuke stated. The other two nodded in agreement. Yu turned to Chie, whose distraught disposition raised warning flags.

"I think you should stay back, Satonaka-san," he suggested. Chie's already high-tension demeanor soured even further.

"I'm going, too! And that's final! I'm going to save Yukiko no matter what!" she boldly declared.

"Are you gonna be all right?" Yosuke asked, also concerned for her safety, "But man… They just confiscated our weapons. We can't go in empty-handed."

"Weapons?" Chie perked up, her mood flipping 180 degrees, "I know just the place! C'mon, follow me!"

_**Dadaria's Metal Works**_

Yu and Yosuke had never seen anything like it. The store, called Dadaria's Metal Works, looked dark, old, and run-down. There were weapons of every kind on shelves, nook, and cranny, with a brusque man with red hair and white apron manning the register. A fire pit, assumingly the forging area, could be found behind the register. The shop looked cool, yet intimidating at the same time.

'Why do I feel as if the man scares me?' Yu wondered.

'_Probably because of the x-patterned scar on his face,'_ Izanagi pointed out. Yu looked in the man's direction again and saw… two giant scars ripped across his face in an x pattern. Not only that, but he stared at the three with a stern look on his face, even scarier than Dojima in the interrogation room.

"W-What kinda shop is this…?" Yosuke asked, darting his eyes from direct contact with the register.

"Looks like a blacksmith shop?" Yu pondered.

"A metalworks, I guess?" Chie suggested, "They sell all sorts of metal crap, like katanas and stuff."

"Doesn't that seem weird to you?!" Yosuke asked Chie, "Why would you know about a place like this anyway? Oh, I get it; you watched one too many kung-fu movies, and…"

"No!" Chie rebutted, "I overheard some guys in our class talk about it. They said this place sells weapons and armor."

She made her way over to what appeared to be a suit of armor. Yu had come across those on his tours of Europe. Apparently, they were popular in the middle ages, very different from medieval Japan.

"Oh, here!" Chie happily picked out, "This one looks good! But it might be too heavy…"

"I dunno, Chie…" Yosuke hesitated, still worrying about his female best friend, "I still think it's too dangerous. I know how you feel, but…"

"You don't! You don't know _shit_ about how I feel. Yukiko might die from this, for crying out loud!"

"Are you fucking kidding me? You know I was in the same boat as you, except person was already _**dead**_."

"I'm sorry, Yosuke, but I'm going and that's that!"

Yu let out a gruff sigh, breaking the almost boiling tension in the shop. He needed to calm down the high-running emotions in the shop. "Okay, but stay behind us…"

"Psh, I'll be fine!" Chie reassured, "My reflexes are second to none!"

"Listen, Satonaka-san… I'm serious," Yu warned, still concerned over her behavior.

"You don't know what it's like in there!" Yosuke tried to convince her to no avail, "If you're not gonna listen to our warnings, we're leaving you here! If you insist on coming, just make sure you have something to protect yourself."

"Alright…" she conceded, "But man, what should we get?" She looked around and found the selection of weaponry and armor to be quite overwhelming. Yosuke was having equally as difficult time to decide on proper gear. Yu remembered he went into the TV World last time with a pair of wrenches.

"Hey, Yu," Yosuke called out, "Mind picking out something for me, too? You're our main asset in battle right now, so I think you should choose whatever makes it easiest for you." It was true that Yu was their trump card against the foes of the TV World. Yosuke had barely gotten used to his power, not that Yu wasn't in the same boat… he did have a moderate level of swordsmanship from his previous kendo training, however (contributing to his kendo-like performance during the Battle of Yosuke's Shadow). In the end, he decided to pick out Yosuke's weapon.

"Uh, sure," he decided. And with that, Yu Narukami became ¥5000 richer. With the knowledge of wrenches in mind, Yu went to a shelf to grab a pair of nice looking daggers, priced at around ¥4500. Yu, on the other hand, had enough in his savings to spill him well into the ¥200,000 range (as one would notice, he doesn't spend on a lot of things from his allowance). Being the frugal spender he was, he tested out the quality of each blade, its thickness, material, weight, durability, and anything else he could think of, and compared it to Yosuke's shadow: it would need to be able to cut through flesh at a very quick rate. He finally settled on a black and gold hilted katana, running him around ¥15,000. He groaned, but told himself it was a good investment and he would need it.

"I got my stuff all picked out! How about you guys?" Chie called from the register.

"You know, if we wear this stuff around town, we'll just get picked up again," Yosuke realized, "But it's not like we can waltz into Junes with a sack full of gear and expect no one to notice, either…"Chie suddenly had a grand idea.

"Why not conceal them under our uniforms? I don't think people would notice."

"Okay… Let's try that," Yosuke agreed. Yu, however, was less confident about the idea.

"It's not gonna work, but I can't come up with anything either…"

"Alright, let's split up and get ready," Yosuke said, "The store'll be crowded until the afternoon sale ends, and if we walk around together, the cops might get suspicious."

"Then I'll see you guys at the Junes food court around 3?" Chie wanted to establish.

"Sure, whatever," Yosuke confirmed, "Just don't be late."

"Like you're the one to talk..."

"I'm going to check out," Yu called to the other two as they walked out of the store. He went to another rack to pick out chain mail to wear underneath his uniform. Having all of the gear he needed, he made his way to the register. The scarred man behind the register looked down upon him as he walked up. The light behind him seemed to darken his face, not that it scared Yu in the least bit anymore.

"Are you a customer?" the tough man greeted rather friendly. It appeared Yu had no reason to fret, anyhow.

"Yes. I assume you are Dadaria-san?"

"Ah, yesh! Welcome to me metalworks shop. I be creatin' all kinds of metal art from ancient, to modern, to cutting edge (no pun intended). So what you be buyin' today?" If Yu noticed anything, the metal art shop owner had a very, _very _strange accent, almost like a pirate.

"Just these," Yu said as he laid the sword and armor on the counter. Dadaria looked at him again, this time with suspicion. Yu could tell he was trying to find a reason why a teenager would go through such lengths to examine a blade, as Dadaria had been observing him earlier.

"Oooooh. What might yah be using that sucker for?"

'Well, I can't outright tell him that we're going after a serial murder; we'll just get arrested again. Oh, I know I'll just tell him…' "Cosplay."

"Ah," Dadaria tried to understand, "Yer be cosplayin'? Whatchyer be meanin'?"

"Dressing up as a character and acting it out." 'At least, that's what my parents do.' Yu found the shop owner looking at him again, this time as if he tried to remember something from his face.

"Ah, that be ¥23,663… Yer last name be Narukami, by any chance?"

"Uh, yes?" Yu answered with confusion as he handed over his debit card.

"Ah, I knew it be his boy!" the shop owner shouted in realization, "I've known yer father for a while now. Heard he was some big-shot for Kirijo, or whatever they're called. I remember yer mother, too. I be surprised they never ran into each other here and only in the city."

"Ah," Yu responded while looking at his watch, "As much as I would like to continue our conversation, I actually have somewhere to be."

"No problem! If yah want something special, bring me yer own materials and I'll try to make somethin' fer yah. I always like seein' new things and tryin' new techniques. So, bring me some rare materials that I'd never seen before. If yah do, I can make yah some cool stuff for yer cosplayin' or what not."

"Will do. Bye," Yu bade farewell.

"Take care, oh son of Narukami!" With that, Yu made his way out of the store and into the shopping district. He looked around to see if the other two were still barking at each other and found an almost empty street. He remembered there being a convince store just up the road next to what appeared to be a tofu shop. He set his sights north and began walking.

'_Well that wasn't odd at all…'_ Izanagi chuckled.

'Heh, yeah.'

_**Shiroku Store**_

"Excuse me," Yu announced as he opened the door to the shabby convenience store. He noticed the shelves lined with various items from trinkets, to groceries, to drinks, and even an ice cream machine. He noticed an old, pudgy lady behind the register, who took notice of him.

"Ah, welcome!" the old lady greeted, "I don't believe I've seen you before! Tell me your name."

"Yu Narukami."

"Well then, Narukami-san, nice to meet you. You came from the city?"

"Yeah."

"What made you move out here?"

"Parents are overseas. Came here not to go overseas."

"Hmm, so you're in the middle of some hard times, eh? Well, the store may be a bit sloppy, but please take your time to look around."

"Sure." Yu aimlessly walked around the aisles in search of some pain relievers, bandages, and other first aid accessories. He grabbed a few of everything.

'I need to find some Advil. I have a feeling that someone's gonna get hurt real bad.'

After a few minutes of walking up and down the aisles, he made his way up to the register where he found the old lady waiting for him.

"Is that all?" she asked. Yu just gave a silent nod handing the basket and debit card over to the counter.

"Not so talkative, are we… Say, you look kinda familiar," the old lady noticed.

'Huh? Another person who knows my parents?'

"You're Kyouske-chan's son, aren't you…?" the old lady declared.

"Yeah."

"My, my…" the old lady reminisces, "I haven't seen him for over 20 years. What a rowdy boy he was…"

"Ahhh," Yu said as he slowly back away, "as much as I'd like to stay and listen about my parents, I really have somewhere I need to be."

"Oh, okay! Be sure to drop in from time to time!"

"Sure." On that note, Yu walked out of the store and made his way back to the Dojima residence.

Yu's mind swam in various thoughts, ranging from Yukiko's current condition, to Chie's current condition. He also thought about their strategy and how to use the bear (as he remembered he worked as a shadow sensor).

'_Yu-sama," _Izanagi called out concerned, _'Are you alright?'_

'Yeah. Just got a lot of things on my mind right now that'll determine the fate of a girl trapped inside of a television.'

'_I understand. This is a lot of pressure, definitely compared to your relatively quiet life in which you didn't care for anybody.'_

'I did _too_ care!'

'_You're going to argue with someone who has unlimited access to your memories?'_

'Uhh… shut up!'

'_What a depressing boy… ' _

As they neared the blacksmith shop, a blue door jumped out beside Yu. As it turned out, people were also walking by but headed little attention to the glowing blue door. Yu looked around to see if anybody was staring at the blue door, but they idly stroll by without a single care, not even paying a single glance. A vibrating sensation erupted from his keychain, his inner pockets began to glow blue. He looked at the door again and noticed the intricate design, as if it were made of velvet.

'Oh ho… is this the Velvet Room?'

"_So it finally begins. Now, if you'll give me a moment of your time…" _a voice in his head rang. This voice reminded Yu of Igor's voice… his nasally, pasty, senile voice.

'I guess… this is the place…' Yu took the handle and pushed it open. The world became white and he found himself in a chair, staring at the same old man and the same old woman two nights ago.

"We've been expecting you…" Igor began.

"Oh…" Yu sarcastically greeted, "it's you guys."

"The catastrophe that is headed your way… It has already taken human lives in its approach towards you. But you have nothing to fear. You already have the power to fight against it. It seems that the time for you to use your Persona has come…" He let out a small chuckle.

"That's good to know," Yu responded, "What am I up against?"

"Your Persona ability is that of the wild card," Margaret jumped in, "If you strengthen your bonds properly, their power will help you overcome any ordeal. Our role is to facilitate that."

"My contribution… is to give birth to new Personas," Igor explained as he took the conversation, "By mixing together multiple Persona cards, I can transmute them into a new form... This, in other words, is the fusion of Personas. You have the power to hold multiple Personas and to use them accordingly. If you have been developing your Social Links, then your Persona will gain even more power. They will be one of your chief sources of strength… You would do well to take this to heart."

Yu was able to get any concept in a heartbeat. He would be able to explain the theory behind Avogadro's number and why the sky was blue if a teacher had explained to him five minutes before, in detail. But this explanation yielded more questions than answers, particularly a topic that seemed to jump out at him.

"Uhhh… Social Links? Like the relationship weaponizing thing you were talking about last time?" Yu wondered out loud. Igor seemed to ignore his question and turned to his assistant, who began talking.

"The tome you see in my hand is the Persona Compendium. Registering the Personas you hold will allow you to recall them at any time. Please see me when you wish to use it. Oh, and one more thing… I would like to introduce a new resident of the Velvet Room, who will be helping you on your journey. I will also be overseeing your Social Links."

"Sounds good," Yu responded, 'although I really want to know what he meant by 'social links.''

Margaret gestured over to the left side of the limousine, to what seemed to be another person sitting in that seat. Yu looked closely at the girl… and she was the same girl he met his first day! He wondered what she could be doing here. Was she a resident, or something more? She seemed silent for the most part, and still unfriendly.

"…Marie?" Margaret called to her.

"Yeah, I can hear," Marie snapped back. She turned her head to Yu giving him a very unfriendly look, "Nice to meet you."

"…Wait…" Yu realized, "aren't you that person that helped me out at the train station?"

"…And I keep telling you I don't remember!" Marie barked.

"Why are you here?"

"Dunno… doesn't matter."

"…Okay…"

"Excuse her," Margaret interrupted, "This is Marie. Her soul is still very young and –"

"Shut up!" the girl in the blue cap yelled, "Don't tell him any more than you need to."

"But it's an intro –"

"Shut up!"

"…As you can see," Margaret sighed as she turned back to Yu, "She may be brusque at times, but please understand that she is only an apprentice and forgive her for her impoliteness."

"Got it," Yu affirmed.

"Marie will be managing the Skill Bank. Certain personas will have skills that can be transferred to another. She will tell you if a persona can have a skill that can be extracted and then 'teach' it to the persona you want to learn the skill. She will contact you at a later date. Please feel free to speak with her here when you wish to use her services."

'I have this hunch that she and I will _not_ get along…' Yu thought darkly. A throaty chuckle broke the exceedingly awkward silence that preceded it.

"Do you recall my words to you before?" Igor started, "The coming year is a turning point in your destiny… If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost. I meant precisely what I said. Defeat in battle is not the only way your journey may come to an end… Please do not forget this. When next we meet, you will come here of your own will. Hmhmmm, I look forward to it. Until then, farewell."

"Huh? Wai –" Yu whited out again and found himself in front of the blue door. People _still_ walked by without a single care, greatly startling Yu. He decided it was easier not to think about it and run home to change into his school uniform.

* * *

**-**_**4:00 PM-**_

_**Food Court – Junes Department Store**_

It was crowded, very crowded, so much that Yu felt uncomfortable. Or, perhaps what was making him uncomfortable was the fact he wore his school uniform on a non-school day holding a dangerous weapon that could get them targeted by police again. At a table stood three teenagers in their school uniforms, two of them crossing their hands into their chests to holdup their hidden baggage. It looked quite bizarre from a bystander's point of view as the three awkwardly stared at each other.

"We really stick out…" Yosuke lamented, "Guess it doesn't help we're in our school uniforms on a Sunday."

"And you only noticed that now?" Yu rebuked.

"Shut up, man! Like you had a better idea," Yosuke retorted.

"…No, I didn't…"

"Anyways, the sale should end soon, so that'll get rid of some of the people wandering around here. Alright… let's get going. Chie, it's not too late to –"

"Drop it! I'm going!" Chie shouted.

"Fine, but don't push yourself, got it?!"

With a small growl from Chie, the three teenagers made their way to the electronics department, thankful there was no one interested in such over-priced goods. After checking their surroundings, all three dove head-first into the TV.

_**TV World Landing Area**_

"Whoa…" Chie shouted, "It really is Teddie!" Sure enough, standing in a dark corner of the stage was Teddie. He seemed to be in deep thought, given his downed face and gloomy eyes.

"Uh, what're you doing?" Yu called out to the bear.

"Can't you tell?" he gloomily responded, "I'm thinking about stuff. I've been deli-bear-ating over it for a long time now." All three teens let out a simultaneous groan.

"…So…" Yu began, "did you figure anything out?"

"Eh," Yosuke dismissed, "it's probably useless to think about it too much. I mean, I've seen the inside of your skull, and it was empty." Said bear went from gloomy to furious.

"H-How rude! You're right, though. I try and try but nothing comes out of my head," Teddie admitted.

"Will you guys shut up?!" Chie yelled having felt the conversation heavily side-tracked, "Now's not the time for stupid jokes! Look, someone came here yesterday, right?" Teddie thought for a moment before coming up with an answer.

"Uh yeah," Teddie confirmed, "I think it happened a little after I talked with you guys. After that, I felt like someone was here."

"Is it Amagi-san?" Yu asked.

"I don't know; I haven't looked… The presence is over that way." Teddie casually pointed in a different direction than where Yu and Yosuke travelled to several days before. "That's probably where they are."

"C'mon!" Chie cried, "Let's go! We don't have all day!"

* * *

**A/N:** If you can guess where the reporter Hata-san is from, bonus points to you! Hopefully, I won't be as late like this time. I'm looking for a June release of Chapter 5. As always, read, love, review! :D


	5. Best Friends Forever (Part I)

**A/N:** Hey, everyone! I'm back with a new chapter (finally) after months of delays. I attribute that to the other story from another series I was working on before shelving it indefinitely in favor of this series.

Shout-outs to Anime/Manga/Light Novel/Video Games in Chapter 4: Seitokai Yakunindomo (specifically, it's supposed to be the fictional father of Ranko Hata… who is also a free-lance reporter)

Legend:

_**-Date – Weather – Time-**_

_**Location**_

"Speech"

'Thought'

_"Speech from the other line of the phone or electronics"_

_'Persona speech'_

_**"Shadow Speech"**_

* * *

**Chapter 5 – Best Friends Forever (Part I)**

* * *

_**-4/17/2011 – 4:15PM-**_

_**En Route – TV World**_

They ran down the path for a solid ten minutes without a shadow in sight. The air around them was heavy and dense with fog, not that it stopped Chie from sprinting at full speed. Yu and Yosuke barely kept up while Teddie was dragging far behind. The little stubs he used for legs were not meant for running the 100-meter dash, which was what Chie was about to break the time record for, according to Yu.

Eventually the iron catwalk they ran upon dropped to a brick road. Chie paid no mind to it and hopped down the 3 flights of steps, the rest following suit. The fog began to thin out where the horizon darkened considerably and conformed to a figure of that of a large castle. Brick walls now accompanied the brick walkway as the four of them stopped just in front of the entrance.

The castle itself, from what Yu could see, was about 9 stories high… taller than any castle he had ever seen in the books he read or the pictures he had seen from the internet. It was made of the same brick and mortar that made up the walkway. In front of the group stood two large and dark wooden doors, beckoning the enticement of lurkers who dared enter its monolithic mouth.

"What th–… a castle?!" Yosuke gawked, looking up at the superstructure that lay before them.

"Hmmm… Y'think this is the place they showed on TV last time?" Chie wondered. All eyes were now trained to Teddie, who now looked back understandably confused.

"You're positive that no one's behind a camera for that bizarre midnight program?" Yosuke tried to affirm with the bear.

"Program?" he replied puzzled, "I'm not sure. Maybe people on your side can see things in this world. It might be that. Look, I told you before! There's only me and shadows here! There's no 'camera' stuff going on. This world's been like this from the start!"

"From the start…" Yu pondered.

"That's what we don't understand!" Yosuke yelled back, frustrated that it really wasn't clear to him.

"I dunno... Can you guys explain everything about your world?" Teddie countered, "I've never seen this 'program' thingy before. So I don't know." Even Yu couldn't refute the bear's logic.

"He has a point," Yu agreed with a long sigh. This irrefutable logic grabbed Chie's attention, though.

"Hmmm, is that really what's happening? Are we really looking into this world? Because the first time Yukiko showed up on that channel was before she disappeared. Doesn't that seem a bit off? I mean, Yukiko saying stuff like 'score myself a hot stud?' That's not like her at all!"

"'Score?' 'Stud'…?" Teddie questioned.

"Yeah," Yosuke agreed, "I couldn't believe it either. Yukiko-san would never say stuff like that. I wonder… is this kinda like what happened to me last time?"

"There's a lot of stuff I still don't get. But after hearing your story, I think that 'program' happens because of the person who appears on it. Or something like that…"

"So, Yukiko is producing the show herself?" Chie tried to rationalize with herself, coming up with nothing in the end, "Ugh, I don't get this at all! Hey… do you feel Yukiko's presence from inside?" Teddie was no longer a bear, but a dog that looked like a bear as he sniffed the surrounding air.

"I'm pretty sure. So, um, what's this 'scoring with a hot stud' thing…?"

"Grow up, first," the silver-haired teen retorted as he faced the looming entrance.

"But, I am a –"

"Yukiko's here!" Chie suddenly yelled, "I'm going on ahead!" She ran ahead and easily shoved the door open. Her form disappeared into the darkness that was the interior of the castle. The other three stared on dumbfounded. Yosuke then realized that Chie ran off on her own, much to her own peril.

"Hey, wait! God dammit, Chie! Don't go running off by yourself!" he yelled after her.

"Uh, we should probably stop her," Yu nonchalantly suggested.

'_And we should probably hurry,'_ Izanagi sighed in worry. Yu only nodded.

"Oh… uh, yeah…"

* * *

_**Yukiko's Castle – Floor 1**_

Inside the castle, it was dark, very dark. It wasn't until they had reached another doorway where it opened up to a long corridor painted in red. There was red carpet, red molding, red-bored tall windows, even red doors. Yu and Yosuke brandished their weapons, ready for attack.

"Urk!" Teddie yelped, "There are lots of Shadows in the castle. It'll be dangerous for a girl by her bearsome…"

'_As if there weren't any to begin with…'_ Izanagi pointed out.

"Thanks for the warning, bear!" Yosuke retorted, dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, before we go any further, I got these for you guys," Teddie reminded himself before he procured something out from his backside. In his paws were three spherical objects that looked like pills, some seeds, and a small bottle with a shiny, yellow liquid.

"What are these?" Yu inquired the bear.

"So, the little pills are something you can feed to a person if they're knocked unconscious. They dissolve instantly in water, so don't worry about swallowing. The seeds are like medicine; it'll help you get back on your feet. And the bottle is some stuff I found if you're feeling tired."

"So we got magical healing pills, magical healing seeds, and a magical energy drink. Sounds like a plan."

'_I have a nagging feeling he's scamming you,'_ Izanagi warned.

"C'mon, Yu!" Yosuke called out from ahead, "We better hurry after Chie!"

"The Shadows have gotten aggravated ever since you two got here. They'll probably attack as soon as they find you guys, Sensei," Teddie reminded him of one last thing.

"Thanks." And, the troupe ran off into the corridor, not noticing forms of black closely trailing them.

It was around five minutes of running when they began to pass several doors. All three knew by instinct that one of these doors held the stairs, which Chie was probably headed towards.

"Uh, which door is it?" Yosuke yelled.

"Try this one!" Yu called back, forcing the door open and crushing his card, summoning the giant-masked swordsman, "Izanagi, check the next one over."

'_Got it,' _he affirmed_, 'I'm going for the next one.'_

"Nothing here!" Yosuke called from the inside."

After 5 more minutes of running, Teddie suddenly stopped. Yu, Yosuke, and Izanagi looked back to see the bear bunched over in an attack-like position.

"Shadows up ahead!" Teddie announced.

"On it," Yu ran forward, "Let's go, Izanagi! Yosuke-kun… summon your persona by calling it and breaking it!"

"Gotcha!" the headphone-wearing boy answered, "So let's see… I guess I should do something like Yu did the first day, but I should probably make it my own… oh, I got it! Persona!" Yosuke held his hand out towards the falling blue card with a magician on it. This imitated Yu's summoning ritual while slicing the falling blue card with his kunai in the most acrobatic way possible. Behind him was a humanoid-looking figure in clad-white and a red scarf. He had green and black limbs that were covered the white garb, as well as gold accents. This head looked that that from his shadow, inheriting the two gold-star eyes.

'_Yo! The name's Jiraiya: The Ninja Warrior,'_ the frog-man introduced, _'Heh, hehhh, let's have some fun, shall we?'_

"Is this… really my persona?" Yosuke groaned.

"Just see what it can do," Yu sighed.

"Alright…" Suddenly, Jiraiya summoned gold, star-like throwing knives in his hands, and threw them towards the floating striped tongues in front of them. But, Izanagi was already slicing through the majority of them, black muck and carnage laying everywhere. Yu promptly swung his blade, taking care of the few that remained. Teddie was much impressed with his sensei's display of raw power, taking him a bit longer to cool down.

"Sensei is so awesome!" Teddie praised the silver-haired teen and his steel-masked partner, "You got a long way to go, Yosuke-kun!"

"Man, all I ever get is shit from you!" Yosuke threw back.

Meanwhile, Chie could be seen running through the castle frantically searching for her best friend of nearly 7 years. The fog that surrounded her and clouds her vision doesn't do a thing to stop her. At best, it only fueled her desire to see this mission through to the end.

"Yukiko… I'm coming for you. Don't you go anywhere. Don't you even think about going up there…" she told herself, running deeper into the castle.

After five more minutes of running through the floor, the troupe encountered even more shadows. These ones looked like carved fishes that floated in mid-air, throwing dive attacks at the party as they ran through. Everyone sliced their way through, checking every door. At times, there would be points where they would come upon a chest with more goods, other times it would be a surprise shadow attack hidden within those chests.

"Geez, they keep coming!" Yosuke complained, "I wonder how far in she went… She doesn't have glasses on! It's too dangerous for her in here!"

"Just continue plowing through them," Yu commanded, "Use your knives if you have to. Izanagi and Jiraiya can take care of the ones from above.

"Got it. Got that, Jiraiya?"

'_Loud and clear!'_

Some five more minutes later, they opened a door where they found a large staircase. All five of them were slightly covered in black goo.

"Stairs!" Yu called out. He ran up the stairs first.

"Cool, let's go up! I smell like fish…" Yosuke followed. He started dusting off the black goo from his uniform, which amazingly fell off without leaving so much as a mark.

"H-Hey!" Teddie panicked, "D-Don't leave my beary hind behind!" Jiraiya only scoffed.

'_Leave him.'_

* * *

_**Yukiko's Castle – Floor 2**_

The short-haired girl threw open the giant doors that stood before her. She found herself standing in a room of grey. She herself had turned grey. The world around her turned grey. It was a gloomy grey, a grey that showed life of a person who thought they themselves were worthless. There were all sorts of things in this room like a work table, books, and things a normal girl would have. There was also an empty bird cage with its door wide open. This seemed to have tipped Chie off.

"Huh?" Chie squeaked, "Wait, I know this room. It's Yukiko's room." An ominous voice then filled the room.

"_She said that red looks good on me…"_ the voice reminisced. Chie seemed to know who this voice belonged to. It sounded very familiar, almost exactly like that of her best friend.

"Yukiko?!" she cried, hoping she would find some hint of Yukiko being held in this room. But, this room echoed Yukiko's voice, almost as if the room itself was Yukiko. It ignored Chie's cries for a response and continued its forlorn soliloquy.

"_I hate my name… it means 'Snow Child.'"_

"Huh?!"

"_Snow is cold and it melts quickly. It's transient… worthless. But it's perfect for me… Apart from inheriting the inn, I'm worthless. Still… Chie told me that red looks good on me…"_

"W-Whadayah mean?" the brunette shrieked, "Yukiko…"

"_Chie was the only one who gave my life meaning. She's bright and strong, and she can do anything. She has everything I lack… You see, compared to Chie, I'm… I'm… Chie protects me. She looks after my worthless life, and I… I don't deserve any of it. Chie is so kind…"_

"Yukiko…" she began to stammer, "I-I…"

"'_**Nice Chie,' huh? Fucking hysterical!"**_ a different, shrill, distorted voice rang, breaking the deafening silence that preceded it. Colors returned to the scene and the room washed away, revealing a large chamber with pillars that could reach further than the eye could see. This left Chie in a very confused and panicked state for that matter.

"Huh?!" she yelped as she turned towards the voice. That source… was another girl with the same clothes, same hair-style, same figure, same posture, even the same mannerisms. It was another Chie, a duplicate. The only thing that sets it apart were frightfully golden eyes that could pierce through concrete and steel. "W-Wha?! That's me! W-Who are you?!"

"_**Chie Satonaka, of course!"**_ the doppelganger coolly replied.

"J-Just cut the crap!" the real Chie shouted back, "I'm Chie Satonaka!"

"_**Well, I'm Chie Satonaka, too."**_

"N-No way!" she began to panic, "T-This is totally nuts!"

"_**Yukiko?"**_ the doppelganger started conversing with no one in particular, _**"Did you hear what she said? She actually thinks I'm protecting her. She also thinks she's absolutely worthless. You gotta love that shit!"**_

"W-What are you talking about?!" By this point Chie, the normally strong and energetic Chie, seemed smaller than the clone before her.

"_**Yukiko's hot, sweet and her skin is just totally perfect. Guys just can't leave her alone; they love her. But when I just heard that Yukiko is actually jealous of me… ha! Man, do I get a charge out of that! You see, truth is if I wasn't around, Yukiko couldn't do anything. She's nothing without me … because you see, I'm the one… who's truly the top dog around here!"**_

"SHUT UP!" Chie screamed, losing all sense of self and dignity, "That's not how I feel! YOU'RE A LIAR!" It was at this time two people, two personas, and a bear came rushing into the chamber.

"There she is!" Teddie pointed out, "Chie-chan is in there!"

"Hey, Chie!" Yosuke called out to the frightened girl, "Are you alright?" He then noticed another figure in behind her, a complete clone with golden eyes. "Oh, shit… don't tell me –"

The other four thought the same thing.

"It's just like Yosuke!" Teddie realized, "She lost control over her suppressed self! Now it's a Shadow!"

"This is bad…" Yu quickly surmised, remembering the painful ordeal that Yosuke had just gone through.

'_Yu-sama, we need to come with a plan,'_ Izanagi suggested. Chie then took notice of just Yu, Yosuke, and Teddie with the personas going unnoticed.

"No!" she cried, "Just stay there! D-Don't come near me!" She then violently clutched her head and forcibly shook it, desperately trying to resist any more mental trauma. "It's lies… no, it's all lies!"

"Shit!" Yu bit his lip. He wasn't about to let her experience the things Yosuke had experienced, "Satonaka-san! You're not safe!"

"Damn it, you idiot!" Yosuke yelled rushing up to her aid. The other four followed. Just as they were nearing, many floating-tongue creatures rose through the ground, as well as come new creatures that looked like twin humans on a stick. This was just too many monsters to handle at a time.

'_I was not totally expecting that,'_ Izanagi sighed.

'_Of course you we – oh, a girl twin!'_

"Uh…" Yu gazed up at the bunch at a loss of what to do.

'Damn it! Get your head out of the clouds, Jiraiya!' Yosuke internally yelled at his persona. "We're surrounded! They're so many of them."

"One, two, three, fo –" Yu nonchalantly started counting the amount of shadows that crowded around them. Izanagi and Jiraiya looked on, mildly disappointed that this was the group's leader.

"NOW'S NOT THE TIME TO BE COUNTING!" Yosuke screamed. Meanwhile, Chie dropped to the floor on her hands and knees, unable to take any more verbal abuse her clone kept dropping.

"N-No…" she weakly defended herself, "You're wrong…"

"_**Are you really gonna continue to ignore me?!"**_ the clone growled, slowly becoming more agitated, _**"Pretend that I don't exist?!"**_

"SHUT UP!" Chie screamed, "You aren't real! You aren't REAL!"

"Well, we know where this is going…" Yu resigned, grasping the hilt of his katana, "Priority #1: protect Satonaka-san. Ready yourselves."

'_Got it,' _both the personas replied. Yosuke was still trying to prevent Chie from mentally collapsing and unsurprisingly, it was not going well.

"Chie! You gotta be strong!" Yosuke tried to encourage her, "Don't give in!"

'Yeah,' Jiraiya sighed, 'you know that's not gonna work, dude.' Unfortunately for Yosuke, those very words broke Chie.

"SHE'S A FUCKING LIAR! BETTER THAN ME!"

"Oh, no!" Teddie screamed. It was at this time the clone broke out into a manic, evil laughter. A surge of black mist surrounded her and most the shadows that surrounded the five others were sucked in. Soon, the clone's figure was covered in a black ball of energy.

"OH, SHIT!" Yosuke and Jiraiya cried.

"MOVE!" Yu directed as he jumped to one side of the room. Just then, the black ball of energy exploded, revealing what appears to be a woman, but not just one woman… she was sitting atop two smaller girls who seemed to be holding her up.

"_**I am a shadow… of your true inner-self!" **_the shadow bellowed.

The party looked up at the monster that sat before them. A notable feature was a point mask with a smiley face adorned near the top as well as the obscenely long black hair. She held a whip, made of the same hair. Chie let out a blood-curling scream just as the whip came crashing down towards her. Jiraiya didn't even wait for Yosuke's order to attack.

'_No time for deciding. Ninja star, motherfucker!' _Jiraiya said as he began chucking golden stars at the leftover shadows, slicing them into goo.

"CHIE!" Yosuke screamed as he tackled Chie just as the whip was about to approach her. Once he made contact, he rolled to the side and crouched on all fours to protect her.

"_**Don't get in my fucking way!"**_ the shadow screamed as she brought down the whip again.

_'Gotcha!'_ Izanagi yelled, blocking the whip with his sword and forcibly causing it to dissolve. The shadow, who sat impatiently atop the chair of girls, was not pleased in the least.

"_**So… you're gonna annoy me, too!"**_ she screeched, _**"Well, I better teach you a motherfucking lesson!"**_ Yu didn't even have to wait to charge up to the shadow and begin slicing it with his katana, the only problem being the regenerated whip that she kept slashing around.

"Damn it, I can't land a hit on her. Izanagi! Shock her!" Yu bellowed. Izanagi pointed his giant sword at the shadow, electricity flowing off and onto the shadow.

'_Not much damage there, Yu-sama'_

"Jiraiya, blow 'er down," Yosuke followed up, breaking the card while he was at it.

'_I'll blow 'er with pleasure,'_ Jiraiya said as he swung his limbs at the air, creating a green tornado of sorts. Fortunately, this tornado made the tower of girls collapse from underneath, bringing the shadow to the floor, as confirmed by the agonizing scream that came from the shadow as it lay there.

"Ready when you are!" Yosuke shouted to Yu while getting up. Yu only nodded as all four charged the shadow, tearing it up from the outside. The shadow still remained, however, and the girls picked themselves up.

"Damn it! It won't go down!" Yosuke growled. For some reason, the shadow had a particular eye for Yosuke, and as expected, dropped down the whip. This time, it hit him square in the face, knocking him back several yards and his head multiple times on the ground. His persona followed him in the air in the same manner. "Damn it, I went down…"

'_Yeah, I went down too,' _Jiraiya heaved.

"Shit!" Yu clinched, wondering what to do.

'_Yu-sama, I can weaken her a bit' _Izanagi suggested as he pointed his sword towards the shadow again. This time, a purple light came out and was concentrated on the shadow. After a few seconds, Yosuke could finally stand up again, but this time, the shadow moved her whip and brought it down without aiming for anything. Yu noticed a green flash surround the girls.

"Try blowing her down again, Jiraiya!" The human frog created a tornado again, but the shadow never bulged.

"Yosuke-kun! I think she put up a wall," Yu called out.

"I figured that much," Yosuke quickly responded, "What do we do?"

"Right now, charge at her! All four of us!"

"Right" the other three cried. This was able to inflict a moderate amount of damage to the point where she looked quite beat up. Then, she struck them all down with a whip, in which lightning was released from the ends shocking everyone on the field. This knocked everyone but Chie about 10 feet back, and was especially bad for Yosuke and Jiraiya. This was when the shadow trained her eyes on Chie.

"_**You're still here?!"**_ Shadow Chie asked exacerbated, _**"I wish you'd fucking die already. I promise to treat Yukiko very well… as my personal punching bag, that is!"**_

"L-Let her… be…" Chie croaked, unable to speak much.

"_**I'm the one who can't do anything on my own. I'm the one who's fucking pathetic. But Yukiko truly needs me; that's the only reason why I keep her around. That's why she's my friend. I can't lose her!"**_

"That's not… what I think…"

"Chie!" Yosuke croaked, obviously in a lot of pain, "Be smart… don't let her trick you!"

'_Not like she did Yosuke!'_ Jiraiya added.

_**"DIE!"**_ the shadow yelled while pulling Yosuke and Jiraiya up with her retractable hair. They were now struggling to break free of the ever tightening hold that the shadow had got them in.

"Yosuke!" Chie screamed.

"I'm not trying to trick her…" the shadow countered, "These are my true colors, like it, or not!" With no one to stop her, the whip crashes down into Chie as she blacked out from the pain.

_**Hallucination State**_

Thousands of voices converged in a sea of darkness that surrounded Chie. She desperately looked around for an exit until she found she couldn't move a single muscle. The masks that surrounded her were of her face. They all had something to say, things she never wanted to hear…

"_Yukiko is so pretty."_

"_The boys go crazy over her."_

Chie was shocked by the voices, things she was willing to overlook because it meant better for her best friend. Of course, that never meant that she got rid of them. "T-This is… me?"

"_**Yes…"**_ the shadow sneered, _**"those are the voices of all those feelings you have… the ones you kept bottled up, deep down inside."**_ The voices continued their rain of pent up emotion and jealousy.

"_Without me, she can't do anything…"_

"_If it weren't for me… she'd be nothing…"_

"No…" Chie screamed, "NOOOOO!"

Her body disappeared into the blackness, her broken soul floating around amongst the masks of envy. "Is this… is this… really how I feel? Oh, no…" she gasped as she realized the extent of her own feelings towards her best friend. It was something she never meant to feel, only as a by-product of witnessing Yukiko's beauty develop and her popularity soar. She never meant for these feelings of envy to be her true views on the matter, but there was no way she could let Yukiko know; she feared it would drive them apart. Chie could only wallow in her regrets, her worries, her fear that the relationship between her and Yukiko was forever damaged.

"So what if it is true?" a male voice rang out, "Who the hell cares?"

"You're still her friend, aren't you?" another male voice rang out.

"I went through the same thing! So I can understand…" the first voice continued, "I mean, everyone has a side like this!" Suddenly, Chie found herself remembering all of the good times that she and Yukiko shared: every time they hung out, every time they smiled at each other, every time they cried with each other… they were all parts of the relationship that she cherished most.

"Yukiko…" Chie began, "Look, I may be right, but still, you and me… we'll always be friends." She defiantly glared up at the darkness, knowing that the shadow of her very self gazed down upon her broken soul.

"Look," Chie sternly stated, "You may be a part of me, and that is true." The darkness dissipated and the chamber returned to view. "You're a voice that I pretended didn't exist. You're the pathetic part of me, but… that's still a part of me. Isn't that right?" Yosuke and Jiraiya still struggled in the grasp of the retractable hair, but managed to say a few encouraging words.

"Yes… that's it… keep going!" The shadow was now in visible pain, so much that the entire body was starting to flicker. Izanagi took this opportunity to take a swipe and finish her off.

"_**UGGGH!"**_ she screamed at the top of her lungs, _**"So you're just going to acknowledge my existence and just accept me?!"**_ At the same time, she flicks her hair at Izanagi, swatting him to the other side of the room like a fly.

"Okay! That's it!" Yosuke growled. The shadow really tightened her grip on the headphone-wearing boy and his frog-man persona. It was to the point where they were unable to breathe.

"_**ARRRRRRGH!"**_ the shadow roared, _**"I'm gonna fucking rip you to MOTHERFUCKING PIECES!"**_

"Oh, no!" Teddie yelled seemingly out of nowhere, "Yosuke's a goner!"

"Where… the… fuck… where… you… bear?!" Yosuke wheezed.

"Yosuke-kun!" Yu also wheezed, having just gotten back up, 'Fuck… what do I do? Is this power not enough?'

'_I don't know if I can go on…'_ Izanagi panted, clearly having taken too much damage. Suddenly, a new voice appeared inside of his head, rather a familiar voice that was new to being heard inside his head.

"_You have established a new bond and have obtained a new arcana,"_ the calm, mature voice of a woman rang in his head.

'Now's not the time for this, Margaret!' Yu replied back.

"_You have the power to wield multiple personas. It is that of the wild card, oh chosen one…"_

"Chosen one? Uh…"

'_She probably means to tell you to switch me out,' _Izanagi interjected_, 'Try calling Pyro Jack.'_

'Uh, okay…'

'_Oh, and don't forget to hold out your hand and say 'change.' It's cooler that way.'_

'I don't care anymore…' Yu sighed as he held his hand out, "Change!" In that instance, Izanagi dematerialized into a blue card with a fool printed on the front, which then dissipated. A new card, notably with a magician's mask on the front, appeared in front of him. As if on instinct, he knew what to do.

"Pyro Jack!" Yu bellowed, crushing the hand that floated in front of him. What appears in front of him was a floating pumpkin, lighted from the inside, and cloaked complete with a wizard hat and a flaming lamp. Teddie, from shock, released a high-pitched squeal.

"What?!" Yosuke protested, "No fair! This freakin' blows! He gets to use two personas?!"

'_Hee-ho, hee-ho! I be Pyro Jack, the flame of the Jack brothers! Where shall me flames of burning go?'_

"Burn it down!" Yu bellowed. Pyro Jack opened a door of the lamp, which released one of the biggest fireballs that Yu had ever seen. "Go for it, Yosuke!"

'_Hee-ho!'_

"Blow her down, Jiraiya!" Yosuke bawled.

'_I'll Garu you awaaaaay!'_ The tornado hit square in the support tower of girls, bringing the shadow down.

"Alright, let's combine attacks!" Yu directed.

"Right on!"

'_Ready, pumpkin buddy?'_ Jiraiya nudged the pumpkin.

'_Hee-ho! Whenever thou art ready to go!'_ Pyro Jack happily replied.

'_Garu!'_

'_Agi!'_

"Let's finish it, Yosuke-kun!" Yu roared.

"Hell yeah!" Yosuke happily agreed. All four charged into the flames, swords, knives, and lanterns blazing. The ensuing explosion and torrent of flames completely brought down the shadow until there was nothing left but the clone. Chie, who had just gotten up, walked over to the clone, ready to face the side she hid from herself, to avoid the pain of the truth.

"~sigh~ This was a side of me I couldn't forgive…" she began, "that I tried to ignore… but you still exist. It's true… you're me… and I'm you." The clone could only nod, and she began to glow blue. Her form then transformed into that of a woman warrior, armed with a naginata for a split second before dissipating into a card with a chariot. She held her hands out to catch the falling card, mesmerized by its power and beauty.

"W-What's this?" she wondered. Yu could only smile softly.

"It's a persona," he confirmed.

"Yup!" Yosuke agreed.

"I have… a persona…" she stared in approval before she took the card into her heart. The other five nodded in approval, witnessing the birth of another team member. "B-But I wasn't lying about being friends with Yukiko!" Yosuke only chuckled at the thought.

"Like we didn't know that already," he jabbed. Just then, Chie collapsed onto her knees. "H-Hey! Chie!"

"I'm okay…" Chie panted, "J-Just a little tired…"

"You certainly don't look okay at all," Yu observed.

'_I would not recommend continuing further,'_ Izanagi advised, having been just freshly switched back.

"And I bet…," Yosuke added, "you can use the same power we have now."

"Huh?" Chie stared in confusion. Yosuke then looked to Yu for any suggestion of their next course of action.

"Hey," Yosuke whispered, "what should we do?"

'_Go back, of course.'_ Jiraiya suggested, _'I'm tired as hell.'_

"Let's go back," Yu declared.

"I agree," Yosuke nodded, "We need to let Chie rest."

"I-I never said I needed a break!" she wheezed in hopes of changing their minds, "I… can still keep going…" only to collapse on the floor again when attempting to stand up.

"Look, Chie," Yosuke sternly looked at Chie, "It's not that we don't think you can. It's just, we have to save Yukiko-san, no matter what. Now that you have the power, you can fight with us. It'd be much better for us all if you had your strength back. That's why we're saying we should go back and regroup."

'_Uh, yeah…,'_ Jiraiya attempted to contribute, _'what he said.'_

"But Yukiko's still in here, isn't she?!" Chie cried, "I-I… If those were Yukiko's true feelings, then I have to tell her something. I'm not as strong as she thinks! It's because she was with me… Because we were always together, I was able to act that way. If we weren't, I'd…"

"Well, you need to get your strength back!" Teddie stepped in, "Then you can tell her! Yuki-chan's normal. The Shadows don't attack normal people. They only attack when the fog lifts here."

"So Yukiko-san will be safe until then, right?" Yosuke wanted to confirm with Teddie.

"I'm positive."

"Why?" Chie questioned, "I don't get it…" Yu had the answer already prepared. He was always like this, having answers for every situation possible.

"Teddie told us that the weather here is the opposite of our own world. The fog usually appears after it rains."

'_Oh, yeah,'_ Izanagi recalled, _'I do remember that tidbit from last time.'_

"But it's been sunny lately," Yosuke realized, "I don't think it's going to rain anytime soon. (He looked over to Chie and saw her fidgeting.) Don't worry so much. We'll check the weather forecast first thing when we get back."

"But… But I can't turn back now!" she attempted to protest, "We've come so far! Yukiko's still here! She's all alone… She must be so scared!" This pushed Yosuke over the edge. He wasn't going to risk the entire team's safety for a gamble that could go horribly wrong.

"Then you tell me how much further we gotta go to reach Yukiko-san!" he snapped.

"Th-That's…!"

"We don't know what other shit lies up ahead. The enemies might be even stronger. If we push ourselves too hard and get wiped out, who'll save Yukiko-san then?! We can't fail, no matter what. Am I wrong?"

"Y-You're not wrong." The rest of the crew nodded, having cemented the plan. Chie remembered one last thing.

"Oh, about before… I shouldn't have rushed in like that by myself…"

"I know how you feel," Yu tried to comfort her. It wasn't something he'd normally do, but after seeing the traumatizing events she's gone through today, this was the least he could do.

"No worries," Yosuke also added, "We're definitely gonna save Yukiko-san. Right?"

"…Right!"

* * *

_**TV World Landing Area**_

"Geez," Chie complained, "my head feels like it's gonna split open… Are you guys okay?"

"It's thanks to these," Yosuke showed off his orange pair of glasses. He then realized that Chie was not wearing a pair the entire time, "Oh, yeah… that's right, you're not wearing the glasses."

"Oh yeah… What's with those glasses? Did you all's eyesight go bad?"

"Surprised you didn't notice," Yu stated.

"Man, just how panicked were you?" Yosuke humorously jabbed.

"Tum de dum dummm!" Teddie announced with fanfare, "I got a pair ready for Chie-chan, too. Here you go!" He handed the yellow pair of glasses to Chie, which fit snugly on her face when she tried them on.

"Damn it, Teddie!" Yosuke yelled, "Why didn't you whip those out earlier if you had them?"

"I-I made them just now! You didn't tell me she was coming! It was all so sadden! I mean, sudden!"

"Wait… how the he –"

"Huh…" Chie concluded, "So that's the trick. I was wondering how you guys could see where you were going. Hey, is it alright if I keep these?"

"Fo' sho!" Teddie confirmed. Both Yu and Yosuke could only let out a groan.

"We'll have to stop here today," Yu declared again.

"You guys better not come here without me, got it?!" Chie firmly requested. It was understandable to everyone she wanted to personally be a part of this mission.

"Yeah," Yosuke approved, "let's all promise each other: Nobody goes in alone. It's way too dangerous. If we don't work together, we won't be able to solve the case or save Yukiko-san, right?"

"You're right," Yu nodded.

"Yeah, I agree," Chie added, "I promise too."

"This'll be a breeze for us!" the Magician confidently declared. OF course Yu disagreed wholeheartedly.

"No, it won't."

"Alright, so from tomorrow on, we'll try and come here as much as we can after school, and that includes days off," Yosuke suggested. Suddenly, he came up with an idea and moved his eyes towards a brooding Yu. "Hey, Yu… Would you mind being our leader? You were the first to get this power, and you're way better in a fight than either of us. I think it's best for all of us if you set the pace of the investigation, and we follow your lead. I'm cool playing second banana."

Yu wasn't sure where he was going to go with this. All his life, he was made to follow directions to the letter, and never question the facts and never to deter from the path. Now, instead of following a path, he got the chance to forge his own, making things his own. It felt like it could be the chance to break out of the mundane life he had lived for 16 years. But, was he going to be comfortable with it? What were the repercussions of leading an investigation that could be bigger than all investigations before him? Could he take the pressure? He looked to his hands again, the catalyst of this power. He remembered Margaret's words…

'_Chosen one…'_

What was he poised to do? What was his purpose in gaining this massive power? Why did he receive it? And to what end? All of these questions kept nagging his mind, and he was afraid to take the leap of faith, but looking at his three companion's eyes, he felt the support that they would give him. It was decided then.

"Uh, sure… Leave it to me."

"I had a feeling you'd say that. I mean, I'm more the advisor type, you know? An ideas man, not an executive."

"I'm with Yosuke," Chie added, "If you're the one calling the shots, I'd feel a lot more comfortable about this."

"I'm with Yosuke too," Teddie furthered the reasoning, "If you're the one calling the shots, my pillow will be a lot more comfortable at night."

"Teddie, would you please stop talking?" Chie shot, "I'm really on edge right now..."

"…Great…" Yu groaned.

* * *

_**-Sunny – 6:30 PM-**_

_**Junes Food Court**_

A silverette and a brunette found themselves seated at a table across from each other. The mahogany-haired teen that accompanied them just awhile earlier could be found in front of a food stand assisting customers. They came in droves, amounting to much of the stress he was currently experiencing.

"He seems kinda busy right now…" Yu noted as he watched the working teen fumble a soda from his hand while handing it to a customer. He then turned his head towards the brunette, who cast her head down in a shameful, remorseful manner. The smile she usually wore on a daily basis was completely absent.

"I'm so pathetic…" she sniffled, "the next time it gets foggy over here, it's possible that Yukiko could die… and I won't be able to do anything… so useless…" Yu had to shake his head. After all, he witnessed Chie face the darkest part she tried to hide from herself. He witnessed the same from Yosuke, which started to open his heart in concern of others. He felt he could do good instead of going with the flow. It was time to turn the tide on his life. It was a good feeling.

"Look, you're far from useless," Yu encouraged, "All I know is that if we're gonna go back there and save Amagi-san, we're gonna need your help to do it." She slowly formed a slight smile on her face. It was still filled with worry, which was an understandable thought.

"Hey, thanks. And as a token of my thanks, I'll show you something!" Chie then reached into her pocket and held out her cellphone. The wallpaper was a picture of a giant English Mastiff, with Chie hugging it lovingly. Of course, Yu had to ask.

"What is it?"

"It's a shot of my dog! He's a serious porker, and he stinks like nobody's business…"

"Ah."

"But if it weren't for this guy, then I would've never met Yukiko. He's the one who made our friendship possible." It brought a warm smile to Chie, who remembered all of the good time she and Yukiko shared, especially on the rainy day they met. Yu wondered if the smile was infectious, as he unconsciously started to smile. This did not go unnoticed by the usually cheerful Chie.

"Whoa, you actually smiled!"

"…No, I didn't…"

"No, seriously! I saw a smile! You never smile!"

"…Let's go home…" Yu sighed. He returned to his stoic demeanor and raised himself from the table. Chie could only sigh as she could probably never get him to smile like that ever again, but it was that fact that she was the first one to see it that made her satisfied. They walked towards the sunset and onto their own lives.

* * *

_**-**_**7**_**:30 PM-**_

_**Dojima Residence**_

It was a quiet dinner. It was a very quiet dinner. No one made a sound aside from the chewing or the news playing on the TV in the background. Dojima found his eyes continually darting towards Yu, almost if trying to read him and see what goes on in that clouded mind of his.

"_That's all for world news tonight,"_ the announcer continued, _"Coming up next, the local news." _Dojima couldn't take his curiosity and anxiety anymore.

"Uh, hey…" Dojima started uneasily, "mind if I ask something?"

'_I'm pretty sure I know what he wants to ask…_' Izanagi thought.

"Uh, sure" Yu replied. Things turned relative silent again. It was rather heavy.

"You aren't getting involved with any strange business, are you? What happened at the station this afternoon... it's still bothering me. Is there anything you're not telling me?" Yu, of course, knew the implications if he told Dojima exactly what he was thinking. His face never showed a visible cringe at the thought.

'I'm going to tell you 'My friends and I think the murders are connected to a magical world in the TV where only we can go. There's this bear that told us so.' because I'll definitely tell him that…' The thought was certainly fantasy worthy, and Dojima could pass it off as a nerd's wet dream. Yu wasn't going to take the chance, however.

"No," both Yu and Izanagi replied.

"…I see," Dojima reasoned, "Well, it's just been nagging at me, that's all." Seeing this banter, Nanako dropped her chopsticks in worry. Her natural reaction was to have everyone be peaceful.

"What's wrong?" Nanako suddenly asked, "Are you two fighting?"

"No…" he reassured, "We're not having a fight."

"This isn't the police station…" she whined clearly not buying the answer.

"I know, Nanako… I just needed to clear something up that's been nagging at me." He then turned to Yu, who was staring intently at his bowl of ramen. Dojima let out a gruff sigh and made an ultimatum. "Look, I agreed to look after you while your parents are away. Please don't get yourself involved in anything that could get you into trouble. Got that?"

"Got it," the silverette promised. They went back to eating their ramen while Yu and Nanako were intently watching the weather for very different reasons… at least Yu's was a very different reason, not that he'd let anybody know that reason.

"_And now, our weather forecast,"_ the weather lady announced, _"Due to high-pressure fronts from the west, that sunny spring-like weather will stay with us for a while longer."_

"Oh! Is this lady the one who decides the weather?" Nanako excitedly wondered, "'Cause when she says that it'll be sunny, it always is."

"Uh, she's not really deciding it…" Dojima answered, much to Nanako's disappointment. Yu could only shake his head.

'Smoooooth… not.'

"…Never mind," the detective trailed off. Dinner continued with a rather heavy silence until Nanako got up to wash the dishes. Yu, being the gentleman that he was raised to be, got up to assist. Dojima still eyed him quite curiously, and worryingly. This made Yu shudder; he wasn't used to having stern eyes stare him down. Dojima silently stood up and went to the coffee machine at the corner of the counter and poured himself a cup of hot coffee. He plopped himself in his favorite seat: the left of the table nearest the living room.

"Sorry about that…" Dojima grumbled while Yu was putting away the dishes, "I killed the mood, didn't I?"

"No worries," the teen quietly responded, "It's natural to be worried about something like this."

"Glad we could come to an understanding." He let out a hearty chuckle. "Go study or something."

After chores were completed, Yu headed towards the door. Back with his parents, they got home so late he would end up bored and took long strolls that lasted for several hours. This was mainly through the city where it was lighted. He needed to clear his head after the events that transpired several hours ago. As he made his way towards the front door, Dojima instantly looked up and eyed him curiously again.

"And where do you think you're going?

"A short stroll?" Yu quickly replied. Dojima's eyes hardened considerably. Judging by his glare, Yu knew it would be useless to argue, not that he would have done so in the first place.

"…I'm only going to say this once, so listen closely. Maybe it's normal for kids like you to be goofing around outside at night back in the big city. But this isn't the city, it's the countryside. On top of that, there is a case going on. Your mother trusts me to keep you safe. You're not a kid anymore. I just have to trust you when you're out of my sight, but I can't just let you run around at night. You get me?"

"…Yes, sir…"

"So that's it. Don't go wandering around at night if you don't have any reason to go out, all right?"

"Yes, sir."

* * *

-_**9:30 PM**_-

It was a quiet night. No rain splattering upon the windows, no fog covering the streets, no static emanating from the small television that almost swallowed him whole. There was nothing between himself and the textbook he was going to tackle, even though most things they were covering this year were things he covered the previous year at the private school he attended. Tonight's subject was trigonometry; he was already studying advanced calculus. So what was he doing with a trigonometry textbook? Checking what was covered on the syllabus and what was not. Izanagi seemed to be asleep in his head, not saying a single word after dinner. He was in middle of verifying some information when he heard a small voice call his name.

"Hey, Yu-kun!" the muffled voice called out from downstairs. Izanagi gave Yu a quick jab in the cranium.

"Huh?" Yu perked his head up from his textbook.

"Yu-kun!" the voice called again.

"What is it?" Yu called back.

"The phone."

"Uh, okay… I'll be down there in just a second." He closed his textbook and made his way downstairs.

'_What do you suppose it could be?' _Izanagi wondered.

'I don't know. Just hope that it isn't Yosuke calling about the case since that would be the stupidest thing he's done so far… aside almost killing himself in the TV the second time he went.'

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he was met with Nanako holding the phone. He gently grabbed the phone from her and started talking.

"Uh, hello?" There was a sound of a throat being cleared on the other side of the line. The voice was hoarse, it was senile, it was rude. Yu instantly knew who this was.

"_~ahem~ It's me, Morooka. I have something that I've prepared just for you."_

"Uh, okay," the teen replied with unease. The way he introduced himself over the phone was just plain rude.

"_I was going to deliver it to your house, but the situation's changed. I need you to come pick it up." _

"Uh, where? And what?"

"_Er, where am I? I was getting to that!"_ He let out another phlem-clearing noise, which disgusted Yu to no end. _"I am in front of the gas station at the shopping district. You got that? Now hurry up and come pick it up!"_

"Sure." Yu hung up the phone back to the unit. Izanagi was buzzing in his head much to his displeasure.

'_That man… I want to beat him for just existing.'_

'If you could, I wouldn't stop you… but you live inside my head, so no.' Yu then looked over to Dojima, having felt he was eying the teenager receiving a phone call this late at night.

"Who was that just now?" he inquired, "Don't tell me you're going out at this hour…"

"My homeroom teacher needs to see me," Yu nonchalantly replied.

"Your homeroom teacher wants to see you? You just transferred here, and you've already done something? No… This is you we're talking about."

"He said he was going to drop something off," Yu explained, "but apparently the situation has changed and he needs me to go pick it up."

"Did he tell you where?"

"Moel."

"Well, I understand," Dojima reasoned, "Go take care of business and hurry back home. You have 1 hour."

* * *

_**Moel Gas Station – Downtown**_

It was a quiet night. The streets were barely lit, making travel quite hazardous. Anyone could come out and attack Yu. He was without his katana, which he decided to keep in his room. The moon was out tonight. What was weird for him was that there were times years ago where he would wake up in the middle of the night to an unsettling green moon. But after several times of that happening, he decided it was a normal thing and thought nothing of it… until one day it disappeared. It was a puzzling thing, but what occupied his mind now was the fact he was coming up upon Moel Gas Station. He saw two figures, which he wasn't expecting: a middle-aged man in a tacky blue pinstripe suit (who he assumed was Morooka) and a kerchiefed teenage girl with turquoise hair. They seemed to be in a middle of a conversation, from what Yu could tell.

'_What the hell?!'_ Izanagi exclaimed out of surprise.

'Shhh!' Yu yelled back, although there was no reason to; Izanagi did live inside his head outside of the TV World after all. The teacher appeared to be lecturing the student.

"It's not safe to be out here at night, Nakamura!" Morooka loudly explained, "What were you doing out here?!"

"I was on a delivery," the turquoise girl, known as Aika Nakamura, replied back without much power.

"You were going to a party, weren't you?!"

'_I think now would be a good time to step in,'_ the persona suggested, seeing the absolute ridiculousness of this teacher.

"N-No!" Aika weakly protested, "I was really work –"

"Hey," the silver-haired teen stepped in, making his timely introduction. This made both the teacher and the student look up at him, the teacher mildly irritated and the student with relief. Morooka appeared to be holding something that looked like a school jersey in plastic wrap.

"Hey, Naru-whatever-your-name-is!" the teacher rudely greeted, "This is the school jersey I got for you! Go on, take it!" He shoved the jersey towards Yu and he gently took it from his hand, although he felt like he wanted to punch the tacky-suited man.

"Thanks. The name's Narukami, by the way."

"Yeah, whatever," Morooka retorted, "Get back home or you'll end up on my rotten little shit list! "

"Didn't you put me there already?" the male teen coolly retorted back.

"Arrrrrgh… never mind!" Morooka blew up, "Walk her home, will yah?!" The teacher then stomped off into the night without much of another word. His stomps could be heard from miles away as it echoed throughout the town. The two students were left there looking at each other in confusion.

"Thanks for saving me back there," Aika finally spoke up… in a rather plain, dead-panned way.

"No problem," he plainly replied back, mildly shocked from the plainness of the reply reminding him of himself.

"Morooka…," Aika pondered, "I'm pretty sure he means well, but he's just overbearing."

"Yeah, I can tell."

"So, I can guess what you're already doing out here."

"Yeah."

"Okay. Well, it is getting late, so I'll head back."

"Oh," Yu offered, "I'll walk with you."

"Are you sure?" she plainly questioned. In truth, he wanted to explore the town a bit within the hour time limit he had.

"I got time. I was planning to go on a stroll anyways to clear my head anyways."

"Oh. Well, thanks." Yu couldn't catch it, but Aika's face formed a faint blush that couldn't be seen in the dark. Yu started walking ahead, making Aika play catch-up for a quick second. They passed by some of the stores Yu was familiar with like the blacksmith shop, the blue door to the Velvet Room right next to it (and the fact that Aika couldn't notice it), and the convenience store. He also noticed a bookstore right next to the gas station, as well as a tofu shop and a food stand that was closed for the evening. All of these small shops made up the shopping district, even the shop where Aika stopped in front of.

The shop was still open at this time, for some reason, hoping that there were still customers out and about. Yu read the sign that spelled the name of the restaurant.

"'Aiya's Chinese Restaurant' huh…" he mused.

"This is my stop," the girl announced. She faced towards the restaurant as she prepared to walk through its doors.

"A Chinese restaurant?"

"Yeah," Aika plainly answered, "I'm not even sure why…"

"Ah."

"Well, fill free to stop by at any time. I'd image you'd have to be home in a bit."

"Yeah."

"Well, good night. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you"

* * *

-_**10:30 PM-**_

_**Dojima Residence**_

"I'm back," Yu announced as he closed the front door. He found Dojima and Nanako still sitting in their respective places: at the table and in front of the TV. It looked like Nanako was entertaining herself with quiz shows, as she tried to guess the answers to no avail. Yu then looked over to Dojima who stared back at him just as intently as he did during dinner.

"So what did he need you for?" he inquired.

"Gave me this." Yu stretched out his hand showing the jersey. Needless to say, Dojima was dumbfounded.

"Huh? You were given a school jersey? That's it?"

"Yeah."

"He could've just given you that at school…" Dojima tried to reason, "Well, I'm sure telling you that isn't helping."

"Meh." Dojima sighed heavily. It brought back the heavy air that they experienced during dinner back into full force.

"School's tough enough as it is. With these incidents going on, everyone's on edge."

"Yeah."

It was a quiet evening indeed.

* * *

**A/N:** How about that? A brand new chapter that's not as long as the previous ones. This chapter was supposed to be combined with the next one, but that would've sent the word-count to well over 15K. This was a good stopping point. But anyways, expect the next chapter out concluding the Introductory Arc very soon (as I'm about 80% done by the time I release this chapter). As always read, love, and review! :D


	6. Best Friends Forever (Part II)

**A/N:** So this was a massive chapter that grew way beyond what I had expected it to, so I split it into two chapters for this release. Coupled with other things in life, this is my excuse for the delay.

Shout-outs to Anime/Manga/Light Novel/Video Games in Chapter 5: none

Legend:

_**-Date – Weather – Time-**_

_**Location**_

"Speech"

'Thought'

_"Speech from the other line of the phone or electronics"_

_'Persona speech'_

_**"Shadow Speech"**_

* * *

**Chapter 6 – Best Friends Forever (Part II)**

* * *

_**-4/18/2011 – Partly Cloudy – 8:15 AM-**_

_**Front gate – Yasogami High School**_

Yu woke up this morning with a rather refreshed vigor, which differed from the past several days. This must have meant he and Izanagi were getting used to the environment of the TV world. He was willing to bet that Yosuke also had less difficulty rising out of bed, but he wasn't willing to say the same for Chie. After all, what Chie went through yesterday was five-times worse than Yosuke's incident; it was way beyond what Yu and Yosuke had imagined and were fearing they'd lose a front-line fighter for several days. This was brought up when Yosuke had caught up to Yu at the front of the school's gate.

"Holy crap," the mahogany-haired teen greeted, "Yesterday was a mess. I wonder how Chie's holding up after all that."

"She's fine," Yu plainly stated. Still, Yosuke kept talking at a rapid pace, reveling in excitement and worry.

"After all that happened yesterday, there's no way she's here; she's probably gonna take the day off at any rate."

"She's fine. I'm heading to class."

"Oh, uh, me too."

The two males made it into the classroom well before the morning bell, which was odd in Yosuke's case. It seemed like a normal day with everyone going about their business. The majority of the class seemed to be confined to their cliques: the loud ones heard more than the quieter ones. Even Aika Nakamura, the mostly silent blue-haired delivery girl, had her own small group of other girls who gathered around her desk, most likely waiting to hear the latest specials at her family's restaurant. She caught the eye of the silver-haired boy and gave him a slight nod and smile. He replied in kind with an even softer smile, almost unnoticeable to the human eye.

"Oh, hey!" Yosuke called out, drawing the attention of Yu, "Didn't expect to see you here." The person that was directed towards was none other than Chie Satonaka, whom the two boys assumed would be out of commission for days.

"Whadayah mean you didn't?" she shot back, "I was totally gonna show up!" Of course, Yosuke hadn't meant it as an insulting jab or a joke, and tried to clear it up as such.

"Well, you did go through _that_ yesterday so I assumed you were gonna give it a full day or more to recover."

"Oh, c'mon! I'm stronger than that!"

"Did you sleep well?" Yu asked, voicing the same concern.

"Yep. I was out cold until this morning," she dimly replied.

"Ewww a cold?!" Yosuke shrieked jokingly, "Stay away from me! I don't want your nasty ass germs!"

"Shut it! It ain't that kind of cold! Aside that… um… thanks for yesterday. I-It's kinda embarrassing, ya know? You two were right there to see my hidden feelings and all…"

"Don't sweat it," her best male friend reassured, "We're still cool. It'd probably happen to any of us if we were caught in there." This made Chie turn to Yu, fixated on the lines "happen to any of us."

"Speaking of which, the same thing happened to Yosuke, right?" she wondered, "Sooo… what was it like?" Yosuke caught himself in a bind. It was either spill it out and be embarrassed for life, or completely change the subject into something that would make Chie forget it all. He knew Chie was not a quiet person and would rather not reveal anything that deep.

"Huh? Uhhh… uhhhhh… how should I put this..." he stammered. His eyes darted over to Yu, who really didn't take much on an interest in the conversation at that point. It was things he'd already seen and known about. That didn't stop Yosuke at all from taking the second option, "Oh, I nearly forgot! Nothing happened when you awakened that day, huh? Hmmm, could that be because you've got nothing to hide?" Even Yu was puzzled at that question. Did he hide anything? He was always under the impression that everything was on a "need to know" basis. If someone didn't ask, they're probably not going to know about it. He guessed he didn't hide anything since he was going to move away eventually.

"Uh, I guess?"

"Oh?" Chie curiously wondered, "So nothing happened for you? I can't say that you seem like a pretty open guy, but there's this funny air about you, like this mysteriousness that surrounds you that makes you interesting… I dunno, I guess that's what draws people to you, or something like that."

"Was that supposed to be a compliment?"

"Ha! I bet you wouldn't know a compliment if it hit you in the face!"

"Uh, if you say so..."

"Anyways, we need to focus on rescuing Yukiko. I'm dead set on coming. Remember, you promised!

"Like anyone wouldn't remember based on how many times you drilled that point," Yosuke countered to the sound of the morning bell. Suddenly, his face contorted into a pleading mess as he gripped the top inner corner of his pants. "Shit! Still haven't gone to the bathroom!"

"…Classic Yosuke…" the brunette sighed as they looked on at the squirming boy darting his way out of the classroom.

The two teens that remained fell silent. It wasn't a comfortable silence (as one around the silver-haired teen would normally experience), but rather an awkward mess of no compatible ice-breakers. The girl fidgeted with her hands to her front, and glanced up at the tall boy. It was just the two of them, so she needed to say something.

"Hey, uh…" she hesitantly began, "again, th-thanks for saving me… Yosuke's cool and all, but there really is something different about you. I feel like you won't let me down…"

"Really, now?" Yu immediately and sarcastically doubted.

"Yeah! Again, you wouldn't know a compliment even if it hit you in the face." Just like the previous time it happened, Yu's vision dimmed and the sound of glass cracking filled the air around him. Time seemed to have momentarily stopped, as Chie was stuck with the same cheerful smile and their classmates frozen in various positions. There was a light from above, drawing his eyes towards it. A spinning blue card not that of the Magician card like last time, but of man driving a chariot, and lowered itself to eye-level.

'_I AM THOU. THOU ART I…'_

'Izanagi, is that you?'

'_THOU HAST ESTABLISHED A NEW BOND; IT BRINGS THEE CLOSER TO THE TRUTH…'_

'This really needs to stop.'

'_THOU SHALT BE BLESSED WITH CREATING PERSONAS OF THE CHARIOT ARCANA.'_

The card dissipated into thin air, and everything returned to its normal state. The class instantly became lively again, and Chie looked at Yu with a concerned expression.

"You okay there, Narukami-kun? You're spacing out a bit..."

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Oh, yeah!" she remembered, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her cell phone, "I'll probably be needing your number and vice-versa for the investigation… and such." This was proposed with a slight blush on her face. Of course, she looked away as she said it. It was a natural reaction; no one can naturally ask the opposite sex their personal contact information without some sort of sheepish reaction. With Yu used to being as isolated as he was, he considered the proposition preposterous, and replied with a reasonable amount of doubt.

"Oh… you sure?"

"Um, yeah!" she weakly confirmed, "Nothing wrong with that. We're friends and all, right?"

"If you say so…" Yu grabbed his phone from his pocket and raised his phone in the air. Chie also raised her phone in the air, and beeps from both their phones simultaneously resonated across the classroom. Just as that happened, though, the door was shoved wide open, first revealing a mahogany-haired boy trudging to his seat, and a certain blue, pinstriped suit teacher marching like a dictator to the podium, where he issued his tyrannical command.

"Alright, settle down you filthy little dipshits! Class is about to begin…" The class silenced all at once, and gave a resounding reply.

"Fuuuuuuu…"

* * *

_**-Partly Cloudy – 4:00 PM-**_

_**Junes Food Court**_

In everyone's mind, the concept of school was never meant to happen, not with teachers and people like the ones in this high school. Yu thought he had seen it all: strict teachers, lenient teachers, plain bad teachers, class clowns, mumbling nerds… he moved from city to city with different experiences each time. This year, he had to live through a philosophical moron who thought he was the next Hitler, a physical education teacher who thought he knew English after just visiting there for a week (and a sad attempt that was as Yu kept correcting him to the astonishment of the class), another teacher who always wore an Egyptian headdress for no apparent reason… this school was just filled with weirdos. The three personas tuned out by lunch time. The three teens also couldn't forget the senior who did not look remotely Japanese who fired off riddles seemingly out of nowhere on the way to the rooftop… even Yu couldn't have guessed them if he tried. They also found a girl who gazed off into the sky while they were eating lunch on the roof, mumbling things about her dreams, which a student from their class asked information on. By the end of the day, the three teens wanted to get out of there, and so they found themselves sitting at an open table at the food court level of Junes.

'_Well, that was a rough day,'_ Izanagi complained, _'I wanted to kill pinstripe suit man.'_

'There are many people who want to, but we can't do anything about it,' Yu resigned.

"Okay, roll-call! Is everyone here?" Chie asked full of excitement, contrary to her mood the previous day.

"Does it even look like anyone's missing?" Yosuke retorted, "When there's clearly three people here?!"

"Oh, c'mon! Can't a girl be excited for once?"

"Aren't you supposed to be worried, instead?"

"Pft, worried? I'm not worried! Yukiko's a strong girl!"

"And what about that entire spiel yesterday... and this morning?"

"ARRRR-"

"If you both don't mind," Yu nonchalantly cut in, "I'd like to get going." At that instant, the two bickering best friends simmered down. Whether it was the adrenaline or the worry that kicked in, now was not the time to be distracted by trivial matter. Yosuke was the first to begin with a great big sigh.

"First Senpai, now Yukiko-san. I never thought we'd get involved in a case like this…"

"D-Don't talk like she's already dead!" Chie immediately snapped.

"I know, I know. Calm down. Unfortunately, we're in a time-crunch; we have to save Yukiko-san before the fog sets in."

"Hmmm… I was watching the news yesterday. I think the weekly forecast was going to switch between sunny and cloudy. Oh, and a chance of rain Thursday morning, but nothing too serious."

"You're sure, right?"

"Of course, you nimrod! There's no way I'd made a mistake. I double-checked!" Yu had crossed his arms and impatiently tapped them. He cleared his throat as a sign of attention.

"…Are we ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's hurry!" Yosuke quickly replied. They got up and made their way to the electronics section of the department store.

_**TV World Landing Area**_

"So, are you all charged up and ready to go?" the blue bear greeted.

"Yeah, let's get to it," Yosuke confirmed.

"C'mon!" the lone girl agreed, "We gotta save her!" Yu only nodded, but as he did, his pocket vibrated. He glanced down and noticed the opening glowing blue. Yu could only guess the reason why.

'_I think they're calling…'_ Izanagi suggested, slightly pricking him in the head.

'Yeah…' Yu agreed, 'I hate it when they call at a time like this. I need to make an excuse…'

"Hold up. I need to do something real quick."

"Oh? What is it?" Yosuke asked.

'I don't think they're gonna take it too well if I tell them about the Velvet Room,' he thought. Izanagi gave him two pricks as a sign of agreement. "Don't worry about me. I'll only be a few seconds."

"'Kay, dude. Do what you need to do; we'll be waiting here. It's best if we're all prepared."

"Don't take too long; we don't have all day," Chie pressured.

"Got it." The silver-haired teen made his way over to the corner where he saw a floating blue door, and walked right in.

_**Velvet Room**_

It was about as different as any other time he came in here. The lady, the old man, and the girl all sat in the same position. It was as if they had never moved and inch for three days. Yu saw the girl's head perk up, and gave him a nasty glare.

"Oh…" she coolly greeted, "you came."

"Yeah," Yu coolly responded back, "I see you talked first, this time."

"Hmph. Whatever. Whatcha want this time? A Persona? A Skill Card? It doesn't matter to me." The classier lady, known as Margaret, who sat almost opposite of Marie put her hand to her forehead in shame and let out a long sigh.

"…Excuse us. Marie, you must learn to restrain yourself."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean? Stupiduptightblockheadtwerp." The velvet-donned maiden sighed once more.

"I apologize sincerely, Narukami-sama, She is far too unruly for me to handle."

"I feel for you," he replied back in empathy. This made Margret chuckle a bit.

"You are quite right. However... this is all to help you on your journey." This turned Yu's expression perplexed.

"...How?" he cautiously wondered.

"This room is inseparable from your fate," Igor finally spoke up, "Nothing in this room happens without purpose…"

"It seems that you and Marie had already met before you encountered her in this room," Margaret added, "Encountering one who is not of man, and communicating with her… Your fate has led you to this meeting." This bit left Yu even more perplexed.

"Uh… 'One who is not of man?'"

"Indeed," the old man confirmed, "This room is the crossroads of both your fates. You, the customer, and she who is not of man, who has wandered into this place. Where will this meeting lead?"

"Excuse me for saying so," the lady in blue jumped in, "but we, too, are a bit interested in the outcome. Though she was in this land before you, in the end, Marie is not of man. In other words, her understanding of the world in which you live is incomplete. Therefore, I ask of you to please show her the world outside, if you would. But, of course, you are occupied at the moment, visiting the interior of the television world. Please ask her to go with you when you have time on your hands." She looked over to the now sulking girl. "Is that okay with you, Marie?

"S-Sure…" she stuttered with a blush, "W-Whatever… Never mind."

"Uh, I didn't exactly agree to this," Yu complained without so much an expression of annoyance.

"Stupidmeanassholejerkface."

_**TV World Landing Area**_

Yu promised himself he would try to limit his time in the Velvet Room, as he couldn't possibly take any more of the cryptic prophecies, or girls who hated people for no reason at all. Izanagi was strangely silent throughout the whole thing. He probably didn't have much to add, or didn't care much at all. In the end, Yu came out only with more questions, and a request to take out the resident moody girl.

"Yo… you okay there?" Yosuke called out from beside him, "You were standing in a corner and spaced out."

"Sorry," Yu quickly responded, "I have a habit of doing that when I think about things."

"Oh. Why am I not surprised? So what happened?"

"Hey! It's not nice to pry into other people's business!" Chie tried to defend the silverette.

"Sorry… so we're ready to head out?"

"Let's play!" Teddie gleefully proposed. The faces of all three humans instantly turned sour, and they all gave the same reply… at the same time.

"No, stupid bear!"

"Huh? No time?"

"Think, bear," Yu growled in a low voice. Teddie thought for a moment of what they should be doing, and finally came to the idea a few seconds later.

"Oh, yeah, that's right! Let's go save the lost girl! I'll take you to the castle! Let me know when you're ready, Sensei. Leave it to me to show the way!"

"We're going. Now."

"Oh."

_**En route**_

The party swiftly ran in the direction they remembered to get to the looming castle. Chie was leading the charge.

"I wonder if Yukiko's okay…" Chie wondered out loud, "She's all alone now, isn't she?"

"No matter what happens, we gotta keep calm," Yu replied back.

"'Cause we're the only ones who can save Yukiko-san…" Yosuke reassured her. Just as he finished the sentence, they reached the brick walkway and the large castle they had encountered yesterday.

"Alright!" Teddie announced, "Before we go in, Sensei, I've gathered a couple of things for you." He thrusts out his paws and displays three red jewels. They didn't sparkle like normal jewels, but they have a red hue to them and looked like they would break if dropped. Yu had never seen anything like these, so he had to ask.

"What are these?"

"These are 'Goho-M Crystals,'" the bear explained, "If you throw them on the ground, you and whoever is touching you will be warped out of the castle."

"Thanks, not that we'll need them today. I expect we'll have her out by this evening at the latest." Yosuke, on the other hand, didn't quite believe the bear.

"Dude, how are you always buying into this crap?

"He's our only liaison to the TV World and knows its ins and outs," Yu explained, "It's imperative we trust him."

"Whatever you say, partner. Sometimes, I can't take Teddie seriously." He looks over at the other two and sees Chie pacing back and forth. Yu noticed the same.

"Satonaka-san's definitely serious, though."

"Well, she is Yukiko's best friend and vice-versa, so of course she'd be worried. Well, it's… you know… It's at times like these that you and me gotta stay calm. Between you and me, we can handle anything! Right, Yu?"

"We sure can."

"Yukiko's still okay, right?" Chie wondered worryingly.

"Don't worry so much! She'll be just fine," Yosuke, once again, reassured.

"But we need to save her soon…"

"She's safe until the fog comes back, isn't she?" Teddie added, "There's no reason to rush things and try to save her this instant. We don't want to go out for wool and come home shorn. But it's okay! We'll definitely save her."

"I have no idea what you're referring to…" Yosuke sighed.

"Let's move and stick together. We don't want a repeat of yesterday," Yu ordered, and the party marched into the castle.

_**Yukiko's Castle – First Floor**_

Yu was recognized as having infallible memory. He remembered the layout of the paths they took the previous day to get to the second floor of the castle. Today as he stepped into the hallway, he immediately noticed something off: the path was going in a different direction than it did the previous day. It looked like Teddie sensed the same thing as well.

"Sensei!" the bear called out, "Can I have a second? The hall here seems different from before, so this place might get pretty tricky... But I'm with you! Don't you worry, Sensei! Leave it to me to show the way!"

"Sure, you do that," Yu agreed, "Persona!"

"Persona!" Yosuke followed suit. Both personas were now floating beside their masters.

_'He is sooooo not my knight in shining armor,' _Jiraiya sarcastically remarked towards the bear. Yosuke just frowned.

"I'm going ahead!" Chie announced as she took off running.

"DAMN IT, CHIE!" Yosuke screamed after her, "DID YOU NOT JUST HEAR A WORD WE SAID?!"

Chie looked as if she was a mixture of angry, worried, and determined. She ran towards the group of shadows that had materialized a mere three seconds earlier. These were the same floating tongues and hallow fishes the other three had seen the other day, with a new type of shadow appearing as well. These resembled a pair of small humans held together by some sticks. She stopped in front of these creatures and reeled her foot back.

"It's just like Narukami-kun did on the first day, right? Wait… how did he do it?" she wondered out loud. Finally, Yu had caught up to the girl and provided much needed assistance.

"Call the card by raising your fist out, like you're reaching for it."

"O-Okay." The Chariot card from the previous day appeared out of thin air and fell down towards Chie.

"And smash it with what you're most comfortable with. Oh, and don't forget to yell 'Persona.'"

"Um, okay… like this?" Chie reeled back her foot as a martial arts legend would do when charging up a powerful kick to the head. After a mere millisecond of powering up, she released all the pent up energy she had accumulated onto towards the card.

"Persona!" she yelled with all her might. The card instantly smashed into pieces and a blue ball of energy formed behind her. This ball then transformed into a pointy-masked female humanoid warrior in yellow with jet-black hair (in the style that looked oddly familiar) and armed with a naginata.

"I am the warrior Tomoe! Where are the heathens I shall smash?!" the yellow warrior hastily and eagerly greeted as she spun her spear around into attack position.

"Let's go!" Chie roared, pointing at the group of shadows. The two warrior women clobbered their way through the six or seven of the monsters, each dealing one to two strike while. Chie loved kicking, while Tomoe acted more like Izanagi, instead piercing the enemy rather than slashing. "Sweet, moving on!" Yu and Yosuke honestly didn't have many words for what they saw. Multiple one hit-kills within thirty seconds was quite a rarity.

_'Satonaka-san's quite energetic, isn't she…'_ Izanagi observed with great curiosity.

'Focus,' Yu called back his attention, 'we've got some more ahead of us.' And off they ran after the warrior women team.

"Wow! Chie's really on fire!" Teddie exclaimed.

"This chick…" the other teen sighed, "Hey listen, Chie! You've just started to gain your strength, so don't overdo it!"

'_Just let her… I like 'em sweaty, heh heh.'_ his persona weirdly commented.

'Can you not?' Yosuke sighed inwardly. Chie, on the other hand, was too worried about the commotion behind her, she kept repeating the same question over and over again to herself.

"C'mon! Where are you, Yukiko?!" It looked like Chie ignored everything around her, including her best male friend. This lack of acknowledgement caught Yu's attention.

"She blew me off!" Yosuke sighed again. It was Yu's turn to catch her attention.

"Yosuke-kun's right! Don't overdo it!"

"C'mon!" she finally responded, "This is nothin'!" This was after she and Tomoe single-handedly mowed down twelve more shadows.

"Aw, man," the mahogany teen cried, "There's absolutely nothing I hate more than being blown off by a girl."

'_As expected of Yosuke-sama…'_ Jiraiya sighed, thoroughly unimpressed with his master's efforts.

'I DON'T NEED LIP SERVICE FROM YOU!' the teen silently yelled back. A loud snicker could be heard from the bear beside him. "SHUT UP, BEAR!"

_**Second Floor**_

All three teams (minus the bear, who usually was cowering behind a corner) put up some impressive numbers on just the first floor of the castle. By the time they had reached the stairs, Yu and Izanagi were actually trailing Chie and Tomoe by six total shadows, even though Izanagi handled the floating tongues quite well with his call to lightning. Chie and Tomoe relied on physical prowess and agility to power through various groups. Yosuke and Jiraiya, on the other hand, were trailing behind the other four, only successfully defeating ten shadows. Yu and especially Chie dove head first with strength, even though he was the fastest (but weakest) at solo hits and took longer to put down a shadow.

The group found themselves flying up another staircase after they had reached the second floor. When they were reaching the pinnacle, they saw the incline level out into a platform, with other stairs joining it from all sides.

"What's this?" Chie wondered out loud, "this doesn't look like it was here yesterday." The group then noticed something moving at the top. Teddie was sent into an abnormal fit, flailing arms and all the rage.

"HOLY MOLY IT'S INKY MIDNIGHT EJECTION BEA-"

"Alright, we get it!" Yosuke attempted to calm the bear down, but his arms were still wildly flailing.

'_Somebody needs to duct-tape its arms,'_ his persona sighed. Suddenly, spotlights from seemingly nowhere flooded the entire chamber, shooting light-beams in all directions until it centered on a spot on the platform. There were also a fanfare of drumrolls that echoed throughout. Everyone else made a resounding, "Huh?" All eyes were then directed to the center of the platform where they found what looked to be… Yukiko, in a pink frilly dress.

'_Whoa!'_ Jiraiya exclaimed, _'Check it out, dude!'_ He then nudged Izanagi on the shoulders. This didn't knock Izanagi out of his trance though, which was for an entirely different reason.

'_Don't tell me it's–' _

"Yukiko!" Chie yelled, trying to get her attention. The girl in pink spun around, quickly catching Yu's attention. The closer Yu looked, however, the more Yukiko seemed to feel quite off. The pink frilly dress was one thing, but the most notable thing was her deep, golden eyes. Mental alarms sounded off all at the same time.

"Satonaka-san, I don't think that's who you think it is," Yu calmly stated, not breaking concentration of the imposter that looked exactly like Yukiko. The doppelganger finally gasped at the sight of the seven people staring at her.

"What's this?" the Yukiko look-alike frantically asked in a shrill voice, "Surprise guests? ~chuckle~ now _this_ is a party! And now, it's time for our next segment!" With little to no reprieve from this onslaught of new events, a series of floating words appeared before the party: "Unscripted! Princess Yukiko's Hunt for Prince Charming!"

"Uh, what's that for?" Teddie inquired.

"Looks like a title screen," Yosuke answered, quite unsure with himself.

"Huh, it does," Yu agreed. The boys kept staring at the card.

'_Looks pretty tacky if you ask me…'_ Jiraiya added. Izanagi couldn't disagree with the usually vulgar persona. Chie, on the other hand, was not concentrated in the least bit on the words, but at the girl behind them. The words faded and brought the look-alike back into focus.

"Hey!" Chie yelled, "You're not Yukiko… who are you?!"

"Hmhmhmm… why would you ask that?" the double playfully asked, "I am Yukiko… and Yukiko is me."

'_Called it!'_ the frog-ninja persona announced.

"No!" Chie cried, "Don't tell me, are you–?! Where is she?! I want the real Yukiko, now!" The girl could only let out an even more playful chuckle, to the point of weak seduction.

"Things are _really_ heating up in here!"

"Answer me, damn it!"

"This place is huge!" the girl in pink continued, "It's sooo exciting, but it makes it so hard to find him! Ooh, princey-boooooy! Ready or not, here I come!" And with that, the girl ran off into the darkness, disappearing from view.

"W-Wait!" Chie yelled after her to fall on non-existent ears. Voices of intelligible garble suddenly echoed around them, throwing everyone on edge. Chie ran forward first to the platform, followed by the others who were still too stunned by the dialogue that had just taken place.

"A-Anyone want to take a stab at what's with these voices?" Yosuke stammered as he couched into attack position. His hunch was confirmed by Teddie, who made an urgent announcement.

"Shadows! Coming up from the floor!"

'_We got this!'_ the three personas yelled as they flew towards the dozens of flying tongues and birds with lanterns phasing through and flying up from below. All three persona users rushed forward, charged and ready to kill.

"ARRRRRGH…" Chie screamed out of frustration, "OUTTA MY WAY!" She ran up and completely clobbered three shadows in one just by unleashing an epic roundhouse kick. Tomoe continued to pierce and slash left and right, destroying birds with one swoop. Izanagi was pretty much doing the same thing, although Yu called for some lighting at times to bring down tongues he could not reach with his own katana. Yosuke and Jiraiya alternated blows with the shadows with Yosuke striking first with his kunai pair and Jiraiya following up with either a ninja-star throw or a blast of wind. The entire battle was over within five minutes. The seven stopped just before the stairs to the next floor to catch their breath.

"That clearly wasn't the real Yukiko-san. It had to be…" Yosuke said in between breaths

"I think it was…" the bear trailed off, "It must have been her other self."

"So it's just like what happened to us…" the girl confirmed with a low growl of ire, "ARRRGH… Yukiko…!"

"We better hurry…" Yu said as he ran up the stairs. The rest of the party followed his stead.

_**Fifth Floor**_

They had never seen this many shadows before. The six powered through two floors of constant shadows, as well as finding goodies in the treasure chests they came across. Chie found herself some new armor that automatically shrank to her size, Yu found some Advil pain suppressants, and Yosuke found some vials of a yellow-ish liquid.

"Yo, Teddie" Yosuke called out, hold a vial," You know what this stuff is?" The bear looked at it and started sniffing it without opening the vial. "… would you like for me to open it?"

"Oh, I know what this is," Teddie realized, "I think you drink this stuff if you become tired and it'll make you bearific again!"

"So it's like an energy drink. Okay, then."

"I guess so? What's this energy drink?"

"It wouldn't do much to explain it to you. Let's keep moving."

As they moved through the path of the floor, a shimmering sound caught the attention of Teddie and Yu. Yu readied his katana to strike, but a slightly maniacal chuckle cut his concentration. Teddie had just another announcement.

"My snout's on fire! She must be on this floor!"

'_I swear, that laughter just gets creepier and creepier,' _Jiraiya said disturbed, _'That's it! She's off the hot list!'_

"_Oh, my!"_ the voice, resembling a very off Yukiko, broadcasted, _"By any chance, are you all… my princes?"_

'_Not falling for it!'_

"_I'm locked up here… Please save me!"_ the voice playfully pleaded, followed by some more maniacal chuckling, _"I'm sure my valiant princes can do it... I'm sure they'll brave any danger to release me from this prison… I'll be waiting for you…"_

"My bear-senses feel really off! Careful, sensei!" Teddie warned"

"Got it."

The party ran until they got to the first fork in the hallway. One path led straight where the other veered to the right through a doorway. Yu made the decision to go ahead, as he thought they could back-track if it led to a dead-end. Everyone else agreed to this plan and they ran forward. Chie was trailing behind to the point where there was a full body-length between them. As they reached the first room, Yu decided to forgo the room, as Teddie sensed a swarm of shadows behind it. As Yu passed the giant doorframe, he and Yosuke (who failed to stop in time) suddenly vanished into thin air.

_**? – Fifth Floor**_

They both landed with a thud, Yosuke landing on top of Yu. He twisted his head upward to gather his bearings, only to realize they were separated from the rest of the group.

"What the–?!" Yosuke shrieked as he got up from the ground. Yu also gathered himself up and looked around for a sign of Izanagi, who was nowhere to be found.

"Our personas are gone, too!"

'_We can still hear you, but we're on our own with Satonaka-san!'_ Izanagi's voice ran in his head. Yosuke, still unsure to what was actually going on, continued to panic.

"Shit! What do we do?"

"Run in a direction!" Yu quickly suggested, "Izanagi, try to see if there's a pattern to it."

'_Roger that!'_ the sword-wielding persona responded.

"I'm going this way!" the headphone-wearing persona user announced. Yu followed suit until they came across another door, and ran past it. They vanished and appeared in a random area again. Yosuke became even more panicked.

"What?!" he shrieked. Yu could only confer

"This is bad..."

"No shit, dude! We've been warping at random points!"

"Just keep running until we get somewhere!" They began to run towards a corner where they encountered a particular black swarm approaching them.

"Shadows!" Yosuke cried as they both brandished their weapons to cut them down to shreds.

HR

_**? – Fifth Floor**_

'_Hey, Tomoe-san,' _Izanagi called out to the female warrior, _'so it looks like Jiraya-san and I can communicate with our masters from a distance, so it looks like they're on this floor. Kindly relay that to Satonaka-san for me, please?'_

'_Roger,'_ Tomoe responded. She leaned over to her master and whispered in her ear.

'_Izanagi-san just told me that they can hear the boys through telepathy. This means that they're close.' _

"Wait," Chie held up for a moment, "If that's the case, what's the plan?"

'_Guys, what's the plan?' _Izanagi took this as his cue to do a little bit of thinking. He looked around for a sign of a pathway different from the path Yu and Yosuke took, which led them to the right fork of the hallway through a door.

'_I'd say we run through the door to that hallway,'_ the male, masked persona suggested. It certainly looked like a promising idea. At this point, Chie was good for any answer. She was also a bit surprised that she could hear Izanagi's voice, which she couldn't before.

"O-Okay!"

"H-Hey! Wait up!" Teddie shouted as they all ran through the doorway. It looked as if they hadn't encountered any abnormalities for a little bit. Izanagi took this as a sign that they solved the mystery of the random portals.

'_Yu-sama, it looks like the direction we went solved the problem. Run towards the other hallway.'_

'That doesn't help us any since we don't know where we are!' Yu retorted.

'_I'm sure if you-'_

'_Oh, hey!'_ Jiraiya suddenly called out, startling everyone, _'A door!'_ Unlike when Yu and Yosuke fell in, the five were running too close to suddenly stop. They found themselves in an unfamiliar hallway, which Izanagi presumed they were still on the same floor. After a few moments, Jiraiya finally picked up that they had warped into another area. _'Shit!'_

'_Yu-sama…'_ Izanagi shouted, _'did you remember approaching a door before you got warped?'_

'Oh, yeah…' Yu confirmed as he remembered while wondering why Izanagi would ask such a question. After thinking a bit, he came to a realization. 'Ohhh, now I understand where you're coming from.'

'_Right. Unfortunately, I have a feeling there are a lot of doors on this floor, so this won't stop the incessant warping. Run in the same direction you were running in until you run into us.'_

'Got it.' Yu then relayed the same information to Yosuke, who was pacing around waiting for answers.

"Wait," Yosuke realized, "so if this entire floor is doors, one of them has to be the stairs."

'_I'm betting on a weirdly-painted door,'_ the frog-ninja added, announcing it to everybody. This startled Yu and Chie a bit since they could actually hear him in their heads. With the situation quickly escalating, Yu pushed this anomaly aside and confirmed the suggestion.

"Looks like we've got no choice but to trust you on this one." Yu then took off, with Yosuke trailing behind him. "Let's run."

Within about five minutes, the party finally met up. It wasn't a smooth entrance, though, as everyone was strewn out on the floor, one atop the other in what looked like a seven-car accident. Slowly, they pulled themselves to their feet with Yosuke caressing his head.

"Dude… what the hell…"

'_This chick is evil,'_ Jiraiya complained. Tomoe just shook her head.

'_Of course, Captain Obvious!'_

'_Hey! That's not nice!'_

'_Whenever have I ever said I was a nice person?'_

'_So cold…'_

"She's here!" Teddie unexpectedly screamed pointing towards the oddly red-shaded door ahead of them.

"Well, then," Yu sighed, "she would be blocking the stairs." Chie couched into an attack position, Tomoe taking on the same stance. Yosuke tried to warn her knowing full well that what lie beyond the door was going to wreak havoc upon them.

"Chie… hold on a sec-" As expected, Chie fully ignored Yosuke, and charged the door, breaking it down.

"Yukiko!"

'And there goes our cover,' Yu mentally sighed. Chie was the first to run in, followed by the rest. Much to everyone's disappointment, this was not the stairwell, but another chamber in the castle. Standing in front of them was the same pink-dressed maiden they were chasing, as well as a large, heavily armored black knight on a heavily armored horse.

"Damn it!" Yosuke, "Did any of you pass by any other door that looked weird?"

'_Oh yeah,'_ Jiraiya spoke up, _'We passed by a door that was locked. We didn't think much of it though.'_

"DAMN IT! THAT'S IMPORTANT INFORMATION!" A sultry chuckle broke the tirade that Yosuke was going through. Chie's eyes narrowed at the source.

"My prince wouldn't lose to guards such as this, right?"

"Gyaaaaaah!" the bear screeched, "I've never seen such a strong one before!" This was followed by a deafening roar from the knight on horseback. It spewed black energy with its glaring-red, visor-like eyes which were visible from the helmet. It was violently shaking, as if it was going to go berserk. In an instant, the black knight charged at the party. "I-It's attacking us!"

Fortunately, Yu wasted no time in moving out of its strike-zone.

"No time for prep. Spread out!" No one else waited time, either, and spread out to all corners of the room. It was rather unfortunate that this knight had a large, black javelin in which it violently thrusted towards Yosuke. He and Jiraiya were able to dodge them… until running face-first into a wall. All that was heard next was a thud.

"Damn it, Yosuke!" Chie cried, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Maybe I'm trying not to **die** here!" Yosuke cried back in pain. Yu and Izanagi turned offensive.

"Izanagi, cleave it while I fend off the javelin."

'_Got it. Don't die on me.' _Izanagi flew up and dove down at the rampaging knight swinging his sword with fury, while Yu traded blows. They figured out quickly this knight was strong, as Yu or Izanagi were unable to make a dent in the armor. Chie and Tomoe were also at work throwing kicks and swinging blades from another side, still unable to make a single scratch (although they landed several blows to no effect). Yosuke took note of this and looked at Jiraiya for any suggestions.

"So I see clawing away with a knife wouldn't do much damage."

'_For once, you make a judgement that's useful.' _In the dire situation they were in, Yosuke decided it was best to not retort.

"We'll try some different attacks. Blow 'em down." Jiraiya unleashed a torrent of wind, which landed a significant blow on the knight. Dents could now be seen on the armor, but this only served to fully agitate the knight. It stopped relentlessly attacking and reeled back its javelin, the black energy steadily growing, its growl intensifying at a terrifying rate. On instinct, Yu and Izanagi braced themselves for the onslaught.

"Brace yourselves!" he yelled over the growls. Chie barely managed to hear it. Yosuke was on the other side of the knight. If anything could get any worse, the knight turned towards an unprotected Yosuke and charged. Chie, knowing that if he got hit, it would most likely kill him. She wasn't going to let her friend die, not if she could help it. She charged towards him and tried to get Tomoe to swipe her from above, only to completely miss and Chie herself taking a direct hit from the javelin.

"Motherf–" were her last words. It was a monstrous blow to the chest, knocking her straight into the wall creating a horrifying crater. She fell forward and landed face first and Tomoe instantly disappeared. Yosuke, who was underneath her when she flew over, looked over at the limp body and saw a large hole through her chest.

"CHIE! WHAT THE FUCKING HELL?!" He leaned over and pleaded her to somehow wake up, even know he knew it was impossible with a blow like that. She was as good as dead. Yu and Teddie also ran over, seeing the blow from the crater from the other side.

"Aw, shit…" Yu muttered.

"Yu, what do we do?! We can't leave her like this!"

"I-I don't know!"

'_Think, Yu-sama. Think!'_

'I'm trying!' Yu frantically searched for an answer, a solution that would save their comrade. Izanagi felt her life force at its very last reserves, and depleting quickly. He dug back into his memories, to when Teddie gave him special.

'Fuck… what was it?!'

"Sensei!" Teddie called out, "Use the bead!"

"The bead?"

"The yellow one!"

"How can she swallow it?!"

"Just break it open and drip it into her mouth!" Yosuke yelled, not sure if this was the correct thing, or even a possible thing, to do.

"O-Okay!" Yu held the bead over her mouth he just pried open. He placed a firm grip on the bead and tightened his grip until he felt a break in the shell. He looked downwards and saw the liquid flowing out into her mouth, instantly absorbed by the walls that lined it. A bright light illuminated from the hole that exposed her internal organs, and the bones, organs, and skin began to regenerate. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes.

"Augh, my head and chest. Somebody get the license plate of the truck that hit me." Yosuke grasped her into a tight hug.

"Y-You idiot!" he whimpered, "Never do anything like that ever again!" Chie wondered what he was talking about, and then remembered she dove in front of him and took the blow.

"O-Oh yeah…" she stuttered and returned the hug, not really caring that it was pervy Yosuke.

"If you guys don't mind," Yu cut in, "there's a rampaging berserker about to kill us again." The party looked up to see the knight in a charging state yet again. There were down to two beads. Chie felt sluggish.

"Move!" The party and their personas ran around the room, confusing the knight of where it should stab. Then, Yu had an idea, seeing that elemental damage actually worked.

"Use your elemental attacks all at the same time."

"What?" the other two yelled.

"Just do it. It'll create an explosion that'll pick him off guard."

"Roger."

"Ready…"

"1…"

"2…"

"3! Attack!" All three elements of ice, wind, and electricity created a powerful storm, engulfing the knight. This brought it down to its knees and off its horse. "Again!"

The attacks hit the knight square in the face and turned it into black goo, which spread all over the room. With the shadow gone, the party good a moment to regather their strength.

"What… in the actual fuck, dude," Yosuke wheezed between breaths.

"I know," Chie also panted. Suddenly, a shrill voice of laughter echoed throughout the room, leaving no time to actually catch a breath.

"_If you really are my Prince, then we will surely meet again. I am but a trapped soul… I cannot leave this place even if I wished…"_ It then fell silent.

"I don't sense her anymore…" the bear casually announced. Yu looked at everyone, who were still catching their breaths.

"Is everyone still good to go?"

"You betcha!" Yosuke replied, having fully recovered.

"Not even a sweat!" the girl pumped her fists.

"You are clearly covered in sweat, not to mention you died!" the male friend of hers retorted. Her persona didn't take to kindly to the rebuttal, evidenced at the blade quite near his throat and a weak yelp from the male that followed.

'_I will not tolerate insulting remarks to my master,'_ the persona bellowed.

"Y-Yes, mam…" the frightened teen squeaked. She then directed her blade to the frog that was on the verge of breaking into laughter.

'_And that goes to you too, frog._' This cooled him down quite a bit.

'_~sigh~'_

* * *

_**Yukiko's Castle - ?**_

For some reason, a scene played out in front of a young woman's eyes. She watched herself fidget while being confronted by a couple of male students. Apparently, they had just asked her to hang out on what supposedly a "date."

"I'm sorry. I can't go," the girl weakly replied. One of the male students, who popped the question in the first place, delved a bit deeper into the situation.

"Why not?" he boldly asked, "We just want some good, clean fun! Some shopping, some karaoke, you know… that kind of stuff." Yukiko knew she couldn't, but she wanted to go even less with the students whom were know just bothering the poor girl.

"I can't. I'm too busy." She even sounded depressed.

"Well, when aren't you busy?" the other male student wondered. A brief silence followed, broken by the sound of a door violently slammed open.

"HEY!" a short-haired girl yelled from the far side of the room. She quickly marched her way into the center of the three blocking the taller, quieter girl from the two male students, shoving one of them away in the process, "Quit bothering her!"

"Relax…" one of the students tried to reason, "we were just trying to get her to hang out with us." This was only met with a short, but menacing growl from the short-haired girl. Fearing for their livelihoods and ability to procreate, they decided to give up on the matter and retreat.

"Heh, whatever. C'mon let's go," one muttered. The other student sighed and shook his head.

"Man, I was hoping we could get her to come along with us."

"Satonaka-san's extra cranky today." And soon after, the two male students left the room in disappointment. It was just the tall, quiet girl and her savior, known as Satonaka-san. They looked into each other's eyes for a split second before the tall girl decided to acknowledge the other girl's actions.

"Thanks for that, Chie," the tall girl thanked out of generosity. Chie only grinned in satisfaction being able to help out a friend in need.

"That was nothing! I just stormed your castle, my lady." The tall girl only blinked at the odd expression that came from the girl opposite of her. She heard that expression elsewhere, just not used in this context.

"You what?" the call girl chuckled, "I don't think that's the expression you wanted." She let out even more chuckles. "That's so you!"

"Huh?" Chie replied confused although she decided to dismiss the remark anyways, "What's that supposed to mean? Whatevs."

"Thank you so much, Chie," the tall girl thanked again. To what she was thanking for left Chie rather puzzled.

"Huh?" she questioned, "Whoa, that was a little random, wasn't it?" The tall girl shook her head, having a reason for the random comment of gratitude.

"Nuh-uh. It's for all that you've done. Whenever I need you to, you're always there to come to my rescue without fail. Thank you…"

The scene that played out before this young woman faded away to black. She tried to force open her eyes, her vision blurred beyond any level of clarity. She felt around, noting she was laying on the floor. All that the young woman could tell from her blurred vision that it was a shade of red. Confused, she tried to figure out where she was, since this definitely did not feel like her bedroom. All she had as a reference was a shrill female voice that filled the air.

"Chie is nice. Chie can do anything. Chie is always by my side. Chie will always be there to protect me. Chie will always save me…" the voice sang, laced with malice and resentment. Those words echoed harshly from wall to wall. Of course, this threw the young lady for a fright. Just this was happening, her vision cleared enough to recognize a strange fog that filled the area. This did not stop her frightfulness one bit.

"Wh-Who's there?" she stuttered in panic. She darted her head in all directions to find a visible landmark, only to find the bottom of a set of stairs. Something then echoed from the direction of the stairs, most likely from the top. The sound of aluminum rolling down got louder, and stopped once it reached the bottom of the stairs. The young woman looked at the object that now rested in front of her. She immediately recognized it.

"Hey, that's my… bird's cage," she murmured, "That reminds me…" Indeed, it brought back memories of her exhausting home-life. All she could remember was work, entertaining various guests, ferrying dishes to and from the kitchen, and tending to their needs. Not once did she take a break since she was old enough to help out with her family's business; it was the only life she knew… until one day, she came across an injured bird.

It was a small bird, small enough that it couldn't fly back up to its nest even if it wasn't already injured (she guessed it fell on its wing and snapped it). Its nest was right above it and she could only guess it was a small misstep that put the poor bird in its current predicament. She only did the right thing at the time and brought it home.

This did little to change her life, as she kept working with the only difference being she had something to take her mind off of the stress. But the more she took care of that injured bird in that cage, the more she realized it must have felt like her. That bird would constantly look out to the sky, possibly dreaming that one day it would make it back to its nest, or to fly out freely to the world. The young woman shared the same sentiment. "You're just like me. You can't live anywhere but here."

It was one day she remembered what happened. She came back to her room watch the bird, to give her a sense of peace, someone or something in the same predicament… only to find something missing, something that was supposed to be perched on a bar in its cage. The cage door was open and the bird was no longer there. An older woman, presumably her mother, appeared behind her and watched as the young woman stared at the open cage door. What the mother said next stuck with her.

"You forgot to lock the cage when you put him back? The way you cared for that little bird, Yuki; you must be heartbroken…"

It eventually had gotten to the point where the young woman consistently turned down Chie's requests to hang out. This became quite concerning for the spunky brunette, that her best friend looked absolutely miserable. Chie even offered to help out, only to be met with rejection. Highly concerned for the young woman's well-being, she only had this to say…

"…Don't worry about it! You'll own and run that inn one day. That's just the way it is and that's cool. But you don't need to over work yourself…"

What Chie said… that "_that's just the way it is…" _resonated deeply within her heart, as if the person, this best friend, of this young woman hit the final nail in her coffin…

"That's just the way it is…" the young woman murmured to herself.

"And that's when you realize 'No, Chie will never save me from this miserable place'; that's when you gave up all hope," the shrill voice suddenly broke her thoughts.

"H-How did you…" the young girl trailed off, realizing that this voice knew her best friend, "Who is this?! Come out and show yourself!"

"Hmhmhmhmmm," the voice chuckled, "You wanna see me, see who I am, what I look like?" The young girl definitely wanted to know who knew private information about her. She frantically searched up the stairs, where she was now positive of the voice's origin. She noticed a figure in a ball gown at the top of the stairs, its golden eyes glaring down at the frightened young woman. It only had this to say in response to the young woman's dire question…

"Who I am… is **YOU!**"

* * *

**A/N:** I'm not even done yet… Guess the reference in this chapter! As always read, love, and review! :D


	7. Best Friends Forever (Part III)

**A/N:**

Shout-outs to Anime/Manga/Light Novel/Video Games in Chapter 6: Fate/Zero (specifically, Berserker)

Legend:

_**-Date – Weather – Time-**_

_**Location**_

"Speech"

'Thought'

_"Speech from the other line of the phone or electronics"_

_'Persona speech'_

_**"Shadow Speech"**_

* * *

**Chapter 7 – Best Friends Forever (Part III)**

* * *

_**Yukiko's Castle – Ninth Floor**_

Shadow after shadow, the group plowed their way onto the ninth floor. Yosuke, being the most unfit of the team, trailed behind the sturdier Yu and Chie and their personas, huffing and puffing as they reached the top. Teddie fared worse, as he was unable to continue running up the stairs. Yu expected another maze, but it turned out to be a long corridor that lead to another door, a large door with red accents. It was safe to say this was the room they were looking for.

"It must be her!" cried Teddie from the rear, "She's right behind this door!"

'_Alright! Let's rock this!'_ Jiraiya energetically announced, floating his way to the door behind Yu who was also walking up.

"Okay," the silvertte slowly breathed, "I'm gonna o–" He was immediately cut off by a kick that barely missed the back his head and aimed at the door in from of him. With ease, the door opened to reveal an abnormally large red chamber with a grand set of steps that lead to what appears to be a gazebo of some sort. Chie immediately took note of her best friend kneeling on the floor a little ways away.

"Yukiko!"

"Chie!" Yukiko responded back, taking focus away from the figure in a frilly pink dress that stood at the top of the stairs. The figure's golden eyes moved to glare at the newly-arrived group, throwing exceptionally piercing glares in the directions of Yu, Yosuke, and Chie.

"_**Oooh my, my!"**_ the figure exclaimed, _**"Three princes?" **_This only served to confirm Yu's suspicions, which permeated throughout the group as they took note of the deep, golden eyes.

"As I suspected," the leader confirmed, "Both Amagi-sans are in this place."

'_Not to mention the one in the frilly pink dress has yellow eyes,' _Izanagi added.

"Hooo, boy. I'm feeling some serious tension in the air here," Yosuke nervously said. Tomoe didn't even know what was going on at this point.

'_What on earth?'_ The shadow, who stepped forward to make her introductions. She placed both of her hands front and center and began speaking in a tone that made Yosuke and even Yu slightly weak.

_**"My, it's getting crowded here. Why don't you and I go somewhere else…? A land far, far away, where nobody knows me. Please, Prince Charming? Take me away. C'mon… pretty please?**_"… It was almost like she was speaking, or rather singing, to herself.

"Three princes?" Chie answered puzzled at the notion, although what did come to mind was the possibility of the third prince being herself, "Wait a sec, does that third include me, too?!" Of course, the bear in blue didn't agree with that proposal.

"It's beary clear that the third prince is totally me!"

"Keep dreaming, bear," Yosuke nonchalantly responded, almost like it was an auto-reply to a record repeating itself.

"_**Chie…"**_ the shadow thought for a moment, _**"C'mon! You're obviously my prince. You always leads the way... You make a brave, magnificent prince... Or at least, you did."**_

"Uh, I did?" Chie confusedly asked again.

"_**See, I'm through with you now."**_ A thunderous rattling noise echoed from seemingly out of nowhere, getting louder and closer by the second. Yosuke looked up, and immediately saw danger. A giant golden chandelier was falling out of the sky and headed towards Chie at break-neck speed. He wasted no time in attempting to tackle his best friend to the ground.

"CHIEEEE!"

'Chie-sama!' Tomoe yelled as she dived towards her. Even Yu wasted no time in attempting to stop the falling chandelier, which was speeding down towards Yosuke, who was on top of Chie.

"FU-" Suddenly, he felt a very sharp pain vibrate throughout his head and his vision flashed for a moment. He could only see a green moon, a large, black figure looming over him, and a small girl that lay unconscious in front of him. As quick as that scene was, it cut over to an image of the Velvet Room, with Margret taking front and center flipping to a page in the compendium.

"My dear guest," she announced, "Thanks to this new bond you have forged, you have awakened the Chariot arcana. Its persona is noted by its strength." It then cut back to the current scene, with the chandelier no more than a foot away from a completely terrified Yosuke and Chie.

'_YU-SAMA, SWITCH ME OUT __**NOW!**__'_ Izanagi bellowed. Yu didn't even need to think twice switching to the new persona; he just crushed the falling card in his hand.

"Damn, it! Ari Mitama!"

'_Yeeeeuh!'_ was all the newly summoned persona was able to say. The shape the persona took was indeed an odd one. It shot itself right over the group just as the sharp tip of the chandelier approached Yosuke. The two made contact and send shattering shockwaves as it threw up an energy shield. _'Fuuuuuuu-'_

"Is that… an angry teardrop?" Yosuke wondered out loud, gawking at the red teardrop above him. Jiraiya had to mentally snap the boy out of his gaze.

'_No time for questions, roll out now!'_ Yosuke wrapped his arms around Chie and rolled out from underneath. Midway, Yosuke let his arms loose and Chie out of the way while he took a minor hit to the wall.

"You okay, Narukami-kun?" Chie asked.

"I'm fine. Go check on Yosuke-kun."

"Nah, he's fine." The chandelier recoiled its chain back towards the ceiling, not before the shadow threw another glare a Chie.

_**"****Chie let me down. She can't take me away from here! She can't save me!"**_ the shadow viciously sang as she threw the chandelier towards Chie again. Yukiko could only watch her best friends and her classmates about to be crushed by a giant-flying chandelier.

"Stop it already! That's enough!" she yelled over the loud clanks of the chandelier. Everyone managed to dodge it… except Jiraiya.

'_Motherfu-'_ shockwaves rocked the area and the frog-man suddenly found himself pinned to the wall. Yosuke, who had managed to dodge it in time, found himself on the floor kneeling in intense pain.

"God damn it!" Yu noticed the problem right away.

"You gotta withdraw it!"

"Can't! Too far away!"

'_I think I'm gonna puke…' _Jiraiya croaked. This was accentuated by Ari Mitama letting out a cry of distress, in which Yu followed his own advice: he switched the damaged Persona out for his main comrade in battle.

"Izanagi!"

'_I got you!'_ the warrior in black reassured while he made his attempt to free Jiraiya from the wall. Evidently, the full strength of a warrior was not enough to free the chandelier from the wall. Izanagi struggled every bit to wriggle the giant light fixture with little success.

Meanwhile, Chie diverted her attention away from Yukiko and her shadow to check on her fallen comrades.

"Narukami! Yosuke!"

"Oh, no…" Yukiko trailed off as she witnessed the scene. Seeing her friends hurt because of her, this thing they called a shadow. It was relentless, as evident by the vile delivery of its rebuke.

"_**Historic inn? Manager training?! I'm fucking sick of being stuck there!" **_Sparked by those feverous words, it was all that was need to drive Chie to action.

"Damn it all! Tomo- WHOAAAA!" The carpet came alive, swirling around, first grabbing Chie, and then the recently summoned Tomoe and Teddie, who thought he was safe hiding out in a corner.

"GRIZZLYYY!" the poor bear screamed.

'_It appears I may be experiencing some technical difficulties, Chie-sama,'_ the woman warrior said as they were tossed around in circles. Chie wasn't ready to give up yet, not

"D-Don't worry, guys! I'll get us out of here."

"Chie!" Yukiko frantically yelled from the sidelines.

"_**I never asked to be born here, where everything's decided for me from how I live to where I die. I don't want it! I DON'T FUCKING WANT ANY OF IT!" **_the shadow shrieked in anger. Following that statement, the chandelier spat out hot, melted wax from its candles as if on cue.

"…That's… not true…" Chie wheezed after being slammed to the ground by the animated carpet. The wax landed at the feet of both Yosuke and Yu, ensnaring them. Both tried to move their legs to no avail.

"Damn it!" Yosuke yelled, "What the hell is this shit?!"

"At this rate…" Yu struggled. Yukiko could only wince at the shadow's statement and the scene before her. She couldn't deny it, but she didn't want to accept it either. Her mind became confused. Did she think of her life that way? Did she want to think of her life that way? Was any of it true? No, it wasn't; she couldn't have thought of her life like that.

"N-None of this is true…" she said, almost appearing to be emotionally broken. The shadow continued her tirade, perched atop the stairs.

"_**I just want to go somewhere far away. I wanna go anywhere but here. I want someone to whisk me away. I can't leave here on my own…" **_Yukiko barely held on to any sanity left, and it was slipping away fast.

"Stop it…" she croaked to the point of tears, "please, j-just stop it…"

"_**But I lack hope, the courage to leave, and I'm completely useless... so I sit on my fucking ass hoping that someday my prince will come and take me far away from this shitty hell hole!"**_

"I-I'm begging you… please stop!"

"_**I have no hope if I stay, and no courage to leave... I don't care where we go! Anywhere's fine! As long as it's not here, I don't give a damn! Historical tradition? Pride of the town? What a bunch of fucking bullshit!"**_

"How dare you?!" the normal girl vehemently questioned, having past her breaking point. That was the last straw. She wouldn't allow it to continue further, a far cry from the normally reserved girl that she was. That didn't stop the shadow, however. Its voice only grew more condescending.

"_**But that's how I really feel. Isn't that right… other me?"**_

"No, it isn't…" Yukiko slowly said, her anger, frustration, and sorrow exploding past their very limit, "you are not-"

"Yukiko!" Chie screamed to get her attention. Yu also tried to call out but was too late.

"Don't-"

"You're a liar!" Yukiko screamed. Jiraiya sighed from his trapped position behind the chandelier.

'_She's gonna say it…'_

"You are not me!" she finally belted with all her anger, sorrow, and frustration thrown into the open. Yosuke grunted, still trapped in the wax that bound his feet to the ground.

"Shit…"

'_She said it…' _the frog-ninja sighed again.

'_Quit complaining and get ready!' _Tomoe yelled from her stuck position on the carpet.

'_I'd love to but I'm kinda stuck here…' _

Fueled by Yukiko's aggravated declaration, a swarm of black energy funneled from every corner of the room, surrounding the shadow, whose golden eyes reveled in this new development.

"_**And the power starts to surge. At this rate I'll- MWAHAHAHAHAHAAA!" **_ the shadow cackled as she was swallowed up by the mass of black energy. The now large black ball of shadows floated upwards towards the never-ending ceiling, disappearing from view once it got high enough.

"Get ready!" Yu yelled. Even though he was stuck in a pool of wax, he wasn't going to go down without a fight. He wielded his silver katana in a defensive position, hoping to dodge any attack that came his way. With that, a gigantic bird cage fell from the sky onto the ground in front of the group, with a large red bird perched at its pinnacle.

"_**I'm a shadow... of your true inner-self!"**_ the bird screeched in the same dementing voice that resembled Yukiko's own, _**"Try to free me, my dear princes! I want you to take me somewhere far away!"**_ As if on cue, the bird cage that lay in front of Yukiko suddenly morphed in to one seven times as big. Not only did it grow in size, but it also gained to ability to swallow anyone underneath it from the bottom, as what happened to Yukiko, who found herself trapped in the cage.

"Yukiko!" Chie screamed at the suddenness of the capture.

"Chie!" she yelled back, shaking the bars of the cage that imprisoned her. She frantically looked around for any opening, finding none.

"Yukiko! Let me go!" At Chie's calling, Tomoe found enough strength to slice herself from the carpet. The first thing she did was free Chie and Teddie, then flew over to Izanagi and pried the other side. With double the strength, they were able to pull the chandelier away from the wall, freeing their comrade.

'_Aww yis! Time to party!'_ Jiraiya exclaimed, rejoicing in his new found freedom. Chie stared down the shadow, who gave a menacing glare right back. It was a red bird, with the shape of Yukiko's face, but with features of a bird. It had yellow eyes and an orange beak, as well as black hair in the style of Yukiko's.

"I got you, Yukiko. Whatever she throws at me, I can take in more."

"Oh, really," the bird sneered, "In that case, I'll hit you… with everything I've got!" It flapped its giant red wings with feathers flying towards the group.

'_Oh, it's just feathers!' _the frog-ninja dismissed as he flew towards the cage, _'Weak sauce!'_ Unfortunately for him, the feathers disintegrated into a massive wave of flames, charring everything in its path. Jiraiya was not spared this attack. Once the waved reached the two boys stuck in the wax, it melted right off.

"YEOOOWW!" the headphone-wearing boy yelped as he lifted his knee, "That freakin' burns! Easy on the fiery, burny stuff will yah, Yukiko-san?" Yu also stepped from the wax into attack position.

"Yosuke-kun, let's do this."

"Hell, yeah! C'mon, Jiraiya!"

Chie was first to attack of the three. She ran up to the bird and jumped rather high into the air. The TV world allowed for accentuated physical strength and movement, once one got used to the environment. She used that to her full advantage performing a 360 degree flip in the air before bringing down a nasty drop-kick on the bird. It didn't leave much of a scratch.

"Damn it," she muttered, "Tomoe, freeze her!" Tomoe pointed her spear at the bird. Blocks of ice left the tip of her naginata and hit the bird. Unlike Chie's hit, the bird did feel it and it fell from its perch. Yu and Yosuke took this as a cue to charge the fallen bird.

"GO!" Yu yelled, brandishing his katana. Multiple swings and kicks were unleashed, as well as a torrent of electricity, wind, and ice. The smoke from the scene was dense and the group had back up a few steps to ensure safety. Unfortunately, the bird returned right to the top of its cage, again with barely any scratch marks.

"Damn it!" Yu grunted, "Okay, we each take a side. Personas attack from the top and we attack from the bottom. I'll get the middle and you two flank from either side. Got it?"

"Roger that!" the other two teens replied. Soon, they spread out and began their assault. Yu and Izanagi kept the front busy with a barrage of cuts from their katanas and staves, while Yosuke threw his knives and Jiraiya kept conjuring vortexes. Chie continued kicking the bird, while Tomoe joined the fray with Izanagi. The bird continuously fired fireballs back at the group at the group, sometimes scorching Chie in particular, who found she was not very good with fire attacks.

"Damn it!" she grunted on what seemed to be her fourth time getting hit with a fireball. She collapsed onto her knees in pain.

"Jiraiya, fix her up, will you?" Yosuke called. Jiraiya flew over to the girl and hovered over her. A green wave of energy hit her, and suddenly she felt renewed.

"Thanks, Yosuke!"

"Don't mention it. Let's just finish this quickly before it gets out of hand." Speaking of getting out of hand, the bird decided it would retreat into its cage, having taken too much damage at a time.

"Seriously?" Yu mumbled, "It can do that?!"

'_I don't' know if I can swing at her while she's in there.'_

"Maybe the cage is part of the shadow. You might have luck that way."

'_Good point. I'll see what it does.'_ Izanagi flew above the cage and sent a slicing cut. While it bounced off the cage, the bird squirmed from the inside. _'Confirmed. Hitting the cage causes damage!'_

"Great. Guys, attack it!" Chie was the first to try volleying a block of ice towards the cage via Tomoe, only to bounce off. Jiraiya and Izanagi both sent a vortex and lightning towards the cage and caused the bird to further squirm.

"Looks like ice won't do anything," Chie reported.

"That's fine," Yu said, "You can attack it physically and it'll still do something."

"Cool!" What came next was the most unexpected thing to come out of the shadow…

"Ohohoh…" the bird sang from her cage, "Come out, my prince!"

"Prince?" Chie questioned. How was she going to call a prince when all three of them were her proclaimed princes? With no time to reason the shadow's logic, a small grey man in colorful royal garments ran to the center of the field. It held a staff with a ruby crystal at the top, held in a golden cage. Right away, it went to work, the crystal glowing. Yu and Yosuke continue the volleys but for the some reason, the bird stopped squirming.

"Crap!" Yosuke yelled, "Did that tiny, little prince dude put up a force field?!"

"Maybe…" Yu muttered in frustration. The prince then pointed its staff towards the two boys. "What the-" Yu was then silenced by the fireball that hit him not a millisecond later. It hurt a lot more than expected and Yosuke found himself in a hole in the wall again after taking the staff to the stomach.

"So," Yu began as he dusted himself off, "it can weaken our resilience." Yosuke tried another hit on the bird, but it squirmed even less than before.

"It looks like it can also weaken our attacks."

"We gotta get rid of him before this drags out. Chie! Jiraiya! Keep the shadow busy; we're gonna get rid of the prince."

"Got it!" Chie, Tomoe, and Jiraiya responded, going right back to delivering kicks, slashes, and swirling vortexes. This did little in the way of damage.

Meanwhile, Izanagi sent lightning bolts to the prince, who collapsed on the ground. Yu and Yosuke ran up behind him to clean up the mess creating a cloud of black dust. In one swoop, the prince dissipated to mush, leaving the bird to cry in despair. Everyone had stopped attacking at that point to see if this had any effect at all.

"_**Come back, my prince!"**_ As expected, the prince didn't appear again.

"_**Why?"**_ the shadow cried further, _**"Why won't you come back? I thought Chie would save me, but… Chie didn't save me! She wasn't my prince at all! I've waited…" **_The candles of the chandelier that sat in front the bird's cage, the chandelier everyone forgot about, began to intensify its glow. Yosuke was the first to notice.

"Oh shit…"

"…_**for so very…" **_Yu looked at Izanagi for the cue.

"Pyro Jack!"

"_**VERY!" **_The magical jack-o-lantern appeared in front of Yu and already had a read on the situation. Pyro Jack saw fire; he knew what to do with fire.

'_Me lamp be workin' extra hard today, hee-ho!'_

"_**VERY!"**_

"BRACE YOURSELVES!" Yu screamed.

"_**LONG!" **_A massive wave of flames engulfed the room, but not before Pyro Jack quickly opened his lantern, which magically sucked the flames in. Damage was controlled, but Chie was still unable to fully escape. She picked herself up and looked straight at Yukiko, who watched with horror at the scene before her. Her best friend decided it was time to talk some sense into Yukiko; it was time she knew everything.

"Hey, Yukiko!" Chie called out. But before she could say anything further, Yu stepped into the conversation with a long sigh.

"Look, you're right; maybe Satonaka-san isn't your prince. But is it really all that important?" His words weren't fully directed to Yukiko herself, but the shadow. And the shadow caught wind of this.

"_**What?!"**_

"She came all this way to save Amagi-san. I think that shows proof she really does care. What more could she have done?"

"Narukami…" Chie trailed off. She wasn't expecting for Yu to step in like he did; she thought he would stay silent like he had always done. She couldn't tell what was going on in the silver-haired teen's mind at the moment. Did something resonate with him? Did Yukiko somehow get through to him and open his heart to others? Shadow Yukiko had a different answer… she wasn't going to take that from someone she didn't know well, who guessed at everything she was feeling, who waltz his way into her life and said those things like he understood. Nobody understood, not even her best friend.

"_**I've… had… ENOUGH!"**_ The chandelier's candles exploded with at least ten times more force than before. No one was able to escape this wave. Teddie, who had remained to the sidelines the entire time, found himself on fire and rolling repeatedly on the ground. Not even Pyro Jack had the capacity to absorb as much flames as the shadow threw at them.

'_Me lantern can't hold this much… My limits be overloaded!'_

"Shit!" Yu grunted as he braced himself. The heat was worse than a brick oven. Yosuke tried to move closer, but the heat only got worse, bringing him to his knees.

"We can't get anywhere near her!" he called out. Yu had no response as he collapsed from the heat and smoke. Chie found herself faced down, barely able to move. She knew she was on her last limbs, so she only had this to say. She was going to say it, everything she withheld from her best friend. It was a parting gift to her best friend. At least she was able to help her in some way. With the last of her strength, she forced herself up, barely able to stand.

"Yukiko…" she quietly called. Yukiko snapped out of her daze, one of remorse, regret, and sorrow. She wasn't going to let her best friend, or any of her friends die for her. For all she was concerned, there was no life ahead of her; all she saw was the inn. Chie and her two friends at least have something of a life they can lead, and she wasn't going to take any of that away from them.

"Chie…" Yukiko began to tear up, "get out of here. Take them with you."

"Yukiko. I'm not leaving you," her best friend boldly declared.

"I'll be fine. Just save yourselves. You've done enough."

"Yukiko. I said I'm not leaving you." Chie began to slowly trudge towards the stairs, to make her way up to Yukiko.

"W-Why won't you listen to me?!" Yukiko screamed, tears forming in her eyes, "You're going to die here and I can't let that happen to you… not after all you've done for me…" she trailed off in tears. Chie only hardened her resolve. She wasn't going to let either of them die, at least she wasn't going to let Yukiko die for her selfish reason.

"Just listen to me, Yukiko! I have to tell you something and it's very important." A blast of flames hit her, but she never faltered; she continued to make her way to the steps. "You see… I've always been jealous of you. You had everything, and I had nothing; that's why I loved how you depended on me. You actually needed something I had. I liked believing I was there to protect you. It seemed like I had a purpose."

"_**Exactly!" **_the shadow cut in,_** "I can't do anything on my own! I'M JUST A USELESS PIECE OF TRASH!"**_

"That. Is. Not. True. Yukiko!" Chie loudly and firmly declared. It was enough to silence the shadow and for Yukiko to look up from her tears. "You are one of the strongest people I know. You want to escape? Then just do it! You can break free from that cage all on your own! Leave there and go wherever you want! Listen to me; I know you can do this!" Chie waited for a response, but was only met with a sniffle.

"I can't! I'm too weak to leave. When my bird left back then, I wasn't heartbroken; I was mortified. The bird that I thought was trapped like me just got up and flew away, all on its own. When I forgot to lock the cage door, it mustered up the courage and strength it needed to open the door, spread its wings, and fly on its own. It's a truth I didn't want to acknowledge." She only started coughing up more tears. She was ready to give up all hope. She resigned to her fate of death. "I'm not strong enough! I'm pathetic, a weak, hopeless, pathetic coward… who waited on someone else to come and set me free." The flames only got worse, growing ever-so rapidly.

"So what?!" Chie screamed underneath coughs, "You were scared!" She couldn't take the heat and smoke any longer and collapsed to the ground, somehow still able to talk through all of the smoke she was inhaling.

"Chie!" Yukiko screamed in horror. Chie continued to press onwards, determined not to give up.

"There's parts of me that I'm not proud of, either, horrible things I'm ashamed of… but it doesn't matter! None of this matters! Listen, I will always be there for you. I'm never going to leave you, and that's a promise I'll never forget for as long as I live… because you know what? You are my best friend, Yukiko, and nothing will ever change that!" Yukiko became speechless. Chie was right; she didn't have to take everything sitting down. All along, she thought she was alone in her struggle. She turned a blind eye to those who were willing to bear the weight with her, especially the one person she held so dear to her heart. Her shadow also realized this, and knew this was a battle it was losing.

"_**ARRRRRRGH,"**_ the shadow screamed in agony, being torn from the inside, _**"STOP IT!"**_ It let out another massive burst of flames, large than the last one. Everyone was under fire at this point. _**"I SAID STOOOOOOOP!"**_

"What was I so afraid of before?" Yukiko contemplated, looking inside herself, "There was nothing ever to fear. I have everything here I need. Right here, right now." The cage started to flicker, and Yukiko, finally accepting her reality, grabbed the bars with her two hands and shoved them forward. They shattered into dust and she fell forward towards a running Chie.

"Yukiko!"

"Chie!" the falling girl cried as she landed safely in Chie's arms. She quickly drew Chie into a tight embrace. "Thank you…"

Meanwhile, the shadow itself began to flicker from the emotional damage that just occurred. It continued to scream in agony as Yukiko weakened it further.

"_**AAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHH!"**_

"The shadow's getting weaker now!" Teddie announced, fully recovered from the flame waves. Yu and Yosuke, as well as their personas, also stood up. The heat was a little more bearable at this point.

"You know what that means, guys!" Yosuke exclaimed, raising his daggers.

'_Oh, fuck yes!' _his persona joined in. Pyro Jack and Tomoe also recovered and sank into combat positions.

'_Hee-ho!'_

'_Standing by.' _Yu held his katana in attack mode, and shouted his final order.

"Everyone, put your strongest attack forward! NOW!" Everyone attacked at once. The flickering bird threw fireballs, but Pyro Jack ate them up, and threw it back. This volley continued to where it was high enough for Jiraiya to launch speed stars at it, sending it even higher. Tomoe leaped high into the air, performed a mid-air flip, and landed a massive dropkick on the bird sending it crashing down to the ground. Upon impact, Yu, Yosuke, and Chie all attacked at the same time, reducing the shadow to black dust.

Once the dust cleared, what lay there wasn't the large bird they were just fighting, but the doppelganger that was mocking Yukiko before. Speaking of Yukiko, she only stared at Chie, who calmly made her way over to her best friend.

"I'm really sorry, Yukiko," she solemnly apologized, "I was so wrapped up in my own problems I didn't even notice half the stuff you were going through, and I should have."

"I didn't notice the things that were bothering you, either," Yukiko apologized as well, "I just wanted to escape; I didn't think about you or anyone else. I didn't want to think about anyone else." She walked over to her shadow, who stood up to meet her, and clasped its hands.

"You see, that's why I created you. I'm sorry I didn't acknowledge your voice before. I wanted to leave and escape, and deep down inside, it's true." Yukiko hugged her own shadow, both as an acceptance and as an apology. "You are a part of me that I can't deny, that I will accept." The shadow only smiled, finally free of the burden its creator bound to it. It dissolved into a blue light, flashing a figure that looked to be a humanoid with wings. Yu, Yosuke, Chie, their personas, and Yukiko looked up in awe. The blue light than summoned a card with a drawing of a top hat, spinning down towards Yukiko.

"Hmmm… that's Yukiko's persona," Yosuke mused. Yukiko only nodded and brought the spinning card within her heart. Her legs then gave way, Chie catching her before she hit the ground.

"Holy, Yukiko!"

"What's wrong?" Yosuke asked out of concern.

"Are you alright?" Yu asked from her other side. Yukiko looked up at the people that surrounded her in worry. She only smiled at the thought.

"I'm alright, just a little tired. You all came to save me?"

"Yeah! Of course!" Chie happily answered.

"Thanks, you guys."

"So who's the grizzly that dumped yah here in the first place?" Teddie, whose voice Yukiko did not recognize, inquired. She looked towards the source of the voice, a blue bear, a little ways away from her.

"Ummm, who are you? In fact, what are you?" Yukiko bewilderedly asked.

"I'm beary much a bear!" Yukiko tilted her head, not really sure how to connect the relations between a bear and the blue figure that stood before her.

"Um, I don't quite follow."

"Yeah, no one does at this point," Yu muttered. Everyone but Teddie shared the same sentiment.

"You see?" Yosuke chided the poor bear, "Everything you do causes unnecessary confusion, so why don't you just keep your mouth shut and we'll all get along just fine." Teddie was having absolutely none of it.

"GRRRR! YOU'RE OPRESSION IS UN**BEAR**ABLE!"

'_Although a rather unworthy pun, it surprisingly works…'_ Izanagi thought.

"Look," Chie cut in, "as much as I wanna find whoever did this as much as the next guy, let's get out of here first! Yukiko's not looking so hot."

"Yeah. Let's go," the silverette agreed. They all made their way to the chamber's exit, except Teddie.

"WHAAAAT?!" the bear cried, "You guys are just gonna a-bear-don me?!"

"Abandon you?" Yosuke answered disbelievingly, "Chill out, don't you live here?" The bear calmed down a bit.

"O-Okay, you have a point; I just…"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Yukiko gently greeted, suddenly appearing in front of him, "I'll come back later and give you a proper thank you." A hand was extended towards the bear, but not towards its paws; it was aimed for the head, which then softly pet the bear. "Be a good bear until then, okay?" Teddie's eyes instantly grew hearts.

"B-Beary nice, Yukiko-chan's beary nice!"

"Did he just move straight to -chan?!" Yosuke incredulously exclaimed.

"For that, I'm gonna give you a special gift!" Teddie extended out his own hand and presented what appeared to be a set of glasses that looked to be different than their own pairs. This set had black and rather circular frames. It had large eyelashes, as well as a swirl design for the lens. It even came with a realistic nose guard! Yukiko grabbed and donned the pair, instantly gaining a reaction from Chie.

"Ohoho, Yukiko!" she sputtered, failing to suppress her laughter. This didn't faze Yukiko much, as functionally, it seemed to have worked. The fog that Yukiko woke up to before the battle had suddenly disappeared!

"Oh, I see!" the quiet girl realized, "These are just like the ones you're wearing!" Yosuke retreated awkwardly at the realization.

"Um, not quite?"

"These are great!" Yukiko continued, "They even have a nose-guard." Even Chie stopped laughing awhile back and only sighed.

"Aren't they something…" she deadpanned.

"Yukiko-san, those things aren't gonna protect you…" Yosuke sighed, "The shadows are dangerous!"

"Hey, Narukami-san!" the quiet girl called over to Yu, "How do I look?" Yu was speechless at this point. How could such an intelligent, proper, reserved girl be such a… space-case? He had no answer for the question she posed.

"I… they look… great?"

"You try them on, Chie!" Chie honestly wanted to back down from the request, but seeing all of the things that Yukiko had gone through, she felt a little… well… very bad. She decided she would bear the embarrassment and throw the pair of glasses on.

"Oh, fine. Whatever." Chie took the pair of glasses from Yukiko and wore them. It looked just as ridiculous as when Yukiko wore them. "This is a horrible turn of events." No one was expecting what happened next, especially out of the resident quiet girl…

~snrk~

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Yu and Yosuke were speechless again. Yu's mind was completely blown at this point. He would have never thought in a million years would the girl in front of him be reduced to a raging fit of laughter that could trump a hyena. Chie could only sigh.

"Oh, great; she's having one of her laughing fits again, and here I thought she only did that in front of me."

"Huh," Yu noted, "Interesting." No one noticed, but he unusually smiled even though it was a rather soft smile. Her raging fit of laughter continued for several more minutes before Chie grew irritated.

"Settle down, Yukiko! Sheesh…"

* * *

_**TV World Landing Area**_

The trek back to the TV world landing area was supposed to be somber and quiet. They were supposed to be reflecting on what happened and how they could help their friend cope with the burden she bore. Instead, they were treated to a never-ending fit of laughter from that very same girl.

By the time they got to the stage, Yukiko had somewhat settled down. Chie helped her down the steps as she was slow to keep up. The TV World was no joke in this regard.

"Hey, Yukiko… you feeling alright there?" she asked out of concern.

"Yeah, just a little tired…"

"So uh, do you remember anything?" Yosuke inquired, wondering if he would get at least some information before she could possibly clear it from her memory. Chie gave him a solid glare.

"I… can't remember anything right now," Yukiko sighed, "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it!" her best friend reassured, "You're safe, and that's more than enough for us."

"But there's no mistake that Amagi-san was attacked," Yu suddenly cut in, "much like the last two victims."

"And I think the one we saw on the Midnight Channel wasn't the real Yukiko-san, but her Shadow," Yosuke added, "Maybe the things she was suppressing in this world took form in the TV…?"

"You know," Chie realized remembering something from earlier, "Teddie said something like that earlier, didn't he?"

"Argh, it's no use. My train of thought is becoming circular."

"Still, what person would think of doing this to people?" Yu could sense that the rising level of confusion and agitation over the matter did not help anything. He decided that it was best to sleep on the subject.

"No use thinking about it if we're stuck. Let's call it a day."

"Yeah," the brunette agreed, "we can go over it some other day. Yukiko really needs to get some rest. I'll take her home."

* * *

_**-Sunny – 7:00 PM-**_

_**Dojima Residence**_

Yu expected to come home to a set of bento boxes from the convenient store Nanako had probably bought on her way home. What he encountered instead was a heightened amount of chatter and two extra sets of large-sized shoes. He knew one of them had to be his Uncle Dojima, but he couldn't place the owner of the other pair. It was a smaller pair of shoes, and definitely not his own as Yu's feet were even larger than Dojima's. What mysterious person could accompany his Uncle, who always seemed to want to be alone?

"Hi there!" a strangely familiar hoarse, high-pitched voice greeted Yu as he approached the living room. He looked towards the coffee table and noticed a new member of the dinner table: the detective from the police station from the day before who fought with Chie. He never caught the name of the detective, and if he did, he completely forgot it.

"Um, hello. Dojima-san… who is this?"

"We got off work at the same time, so I'm giving him a ride back to his place," Dojima casually explained, "I thought we might swing by to grab something to eat." The detective in question drew his attention to the tall boy deciding it was a perfect time to introduce himself in the most gleeful of manners.

"Nice to meet ya! I'm Tohru Adachi, the guy who's been your dad's slave since spring."

"Nice to meet you as well," Yu politely greeted back with a mow, "And he's my uncle, not my father."

"You know I can be a hell of a lot harder on you…" Dojima chided the detective, noting the thinly-veiled insult. Of course, the detective still wore a carefree smile, beaming brightly as though the jab Dojima sent back at him were merely a joke.

"Haha, good one, Sir! Ha… ha… Oh, I almost forgot!" Adachi suddenly recalled, "You're friends with Yukiko Amagi, right?"

"Uh, sorta… I guess." 'Though I wouldn't call it close by a long-shot.'

"They found her safe and sound! Tell all your friends at school!"

"Ah. Must be a relief."

"Yeah," Dojima joined in, "for us on the force too. But, this doesn't mean the case is closed, not yet." The gleeful detective continued his findings.

"We were just questioning the young Amagi-san, but she says she doesn't remember anything that happened while she was missing. And we can't figure out her whereabouts during the missing period, either. It's like she really disappeared. It's all pretty fishy, if you ask me… Like there's something else going o-" This was met with a hard slap to the back from Dojima. "Ow!"

"Stop blabbering, yah dumbass!"

"S-Sorry…"

"Ignore him," Dojima sternly said to Yu, who was a little more than wide-eyed at the accusation, "He's just spouting some wild fantasy." Still, Yu couldn't ignore what was said.

"She isn't involved."

"…Yeah, I know. Anyways, don't mind him. He can be a real pain sometimes."

"I'm hungry! Can we eat yet, Dad?" a smaller voice called from Dojima's right. He looked down at the food on their plates and the girl who spoke up requesting to eat it.

"Haha hey, you're right; my stomach's growling too."

"Hahaha, so you do have a softer side around Nanako-chan, Sir," the cheery detective chuckled. Dojima hardened up again at the notion. He was not one for possessing a soft-side.

"Shut up and siddown… And wash those hands first!" He then looked at his own hands. "Hm, I should probably do the same…"

_**-9:00 PM-**_

It was the first dinner Yu experienced of cheerfulness and merriment; not just in the household he currently lived in, but in his entire life. Dinners with his parents were awkward to say the least with both of them discussing business and his performance at school. He couldn't keep on their level, especially his mother. Even then, family dinners were exceptionally rare with both of his parents working overtime most days of the week. Even when the entire family traveled, they left Yu to his own devices most of the time; it was strange enough that they never let him out of reach until very recently. He wondered why they forced him to travel at all.

This gathering felt like a real family dinner, filled with laughter, shouting, spilled drinks, and the like. Yu didn't know how to handle himself, so he quietly observed their behavior. It was unrestricted, uncensored, and unruly. Anything goes and anything could be used against you. It was akin to letting one's self go with the people one was familiar with.

'So that was a family dinner,' he thought as he stared at the television. Tonight's program was a showing of what appeared to be a romance anime, one with surprisingly realistic-looking characters. It followed the story of a character as he decided to find love again after his heart was shattered on Christmas Eve two years prior. Yu recognized the title of the game he played awhile back and was surprised it got adapted into an anime. He wondered when it aired…

"I'm back…" Dojima announced as he walked through the doorway. He made his way into the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee, then walked over to the sofa and took a seat. Yu noticed he was thinking of something.

"You know…" Dojima started, "There's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"Go on…"

"I remembered there was a little girl that used to come over to play with you when you were here." Yu was surprised; he didn't remember anything like that at all.

"Really?"

"Yeah, although I don't remember much about it. It was about 10 years ago when you and your parents visited." Yu did think about it for a little bit, trying to remember events that actually happened 10 years ago. He drew a blank.

"Interesting. I do remember visiting here, but I don't remember much about it. Why are you asking?"

"I just thought I'd bring something up that I remembered, seeing as I don't see you or your family often."

"Huh. My mind is drawing a blank."

"I wonder what became of her. Sweet girl she was…"

* * *

_**-11:00 PM-**_

_**Kyoto, Japan**_

Lights. More lights. Sweat. Deafening music. Deafening roars from the crowd in front of her. Exhaustion. This was the life of a girl that could be seen singing and dancing on stage for her fans. She smiled as she usually does, but it was getting increasingly more difficult to make it feel genuine. She was tired, very tired, physically and emotionally. But, she must go on for the people that depended on her for the past two years. She wanted to escape, but she couldn't…

Still, she performed for the people who depended on her.

'I'm at my limit,' she thought to herself, 'I feel like one day, my mind will break apart. But, I can't leave everyone, not like this. I have to push forward. I have to find my reason for doing this…'

So, she performed… for the people who depended on her.

She found herself seated at a table, with a black pen in her hand. She still wore the smile she forced herself to wear. The pen moved on its own, marking her signature on every item that was passed her way. She shook hands with people she would most likely never see again. Life was a fleeting moment for her. Memories were never important in this industry; only the performance and giving it 100% every night.

But still, she continued to dwell on the faint memories from her youth from years ago, 10 years ago to be exact. It wasn't the fact that those memories were precious, it was the fact that there was none…

'I've always wondered why I couldn't remember anything from that day. What was I doing?' she thought to herself. Just as she gained a sliver of some sort of memory, a sharp pain shot through her skull. She held her head in her hands. Her breathing was heavy. 'Damn it!'

"Rise-chan!" her manager shouted, running over to the idol, "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm… fine," she panted. She quickly recovered and put back on the smile she wore for her fans, "Next in line please!"

* * *

**A/N:** So that was originally a very long chapter (16.5K words), but worth the read, right? Guess the reference in this chapter! As always read, love, and review! :D


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